Summer
by Hayley128
Summary: Set between seasons three and four. No deputy mayor killing and no turning evil for Faith. Buffy wants to be friends with Faith but finds more than she expected.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Summer

Rating: NC17

Pairing: Buffy/Faith

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and I make no money from this.

Summary: Set between seasons three and four. No deputy mayor killing and no turning evil for Faith. Buffy wants to be friends with Faith but finds more than she expected.

* * *

><p>I need a change.<p>

We blew up the school, defeated the Mayor and Angel left both me and Sunnydale. Hell, I even managed to graduate high school at the end of it. I can honestly say I'd never thought that would happen. A lot of slayers don't live that long.

Now I'll have college in the fall and it feels like it'll be a whole new life.

Which is why I think change should start this summer. I want it to start with Faith.

I'd like to say we're friends but I don't think that's true. We don't hang out outside of the slaying and even after all these months, she still separates herself from the rest of the gang once we meet up with everyone. At first I thought it was because she didn't feel included but after a few weeks of trying I got the impression she'd rather hang out at the bar, hit the dance floor or pick up someone. I stopped trying after being even the cold shoulder so many times.

That changes now. We're been through so much together in the last year that it feels wrong that I don't think of her as more than a just fellow slayer. I mean, we stopped an apocalypse from happening. There should be some major bonding after that.

There have been changes for Faith in the last few months, like the fact that in order to stay in our lives the Council has started to pay us. That meant she got to get out of that horrible motel and now has an apartment close to downtown. It's small but nice and I think she likes it. She works at a bar a few hours a week, too, but I think Giles want her to do something different. Whatever he chooses to do next outside of his watcher duties I have a feeling he'll want her to work for him.

The Council pays us enough to where neither of us really has to work but Faith said she needs something to do. I told her she could go back to school but she just laughed and said that was my thing.

Since when is school my thing? I don't even like it.

And where does my pay from the Council go? I'm allowed to spend some of it but most of what they send goes to help pay for college. So unfair.

The fact that Faith's said she has nothing to do a lot of days makes my mission to become friends a little easier. She can't exactly say she has to be somewhere when I know she doesn't.

I wait until almost noon then walk to her apartment. Faith isn't exactly a morning person and I'm pretty sure she wasn't alone when she left the Bronze last night. Leaving later guarantees I'll miss anyone being tossed out and there won't be an angry slayer to deal with because I woke her up. Besides, she's probably hungry by now.

The front door opens almost immediately after I knock and there's Faith in full workout gear. "'Sup, B?"

"Uh, I figured there was a good chance you'd still be dead to the world," I say as I walk in.

"Nah, I've been trying to run a little in the morning. Ya know, get a little loose in case Giles wants to work on something later." She pokes me in the stomach. "Gotta stay in shape."

She better not be insinuating I'm fat or maybe this possible friendship is overrated. "I am in shape and there's only muscle where you're poking."

"Think I'll have to check again," she says and laughs when I swat her hand away. "Seriously, what's up?"

"I thought you might wanna have some lunch," I say and suddenly I'm nervous. "If you're not busy anyway."

Faith raises an eyebrow. "Where's everyone else?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I'm not asking everyone else if they want to get lunch, I'm asking you."

"Oh." She looks a little confused now and finally shuts the door to the apartment. "I guess. Don't really have any plans during the day."

Maybe that's why she's working out. She probably has a lot of pent up energy to get rid of. Even though the hellmouth activity is slowly increasing back to what it once was the last couple weeks have been a little boring. A failed ascension will do that.

"Sit down," Faith says, probably realizing we shouldn't just stand by the door. "Let me shower quick and we can go somewhere."

She disappears into the bathroom and I sit down on the couch. Faith's choices in decorating aren't exactly what I would pick but I have to admit she's made the place look great and bigger than it actually is. Everything's sleek with dark shades in color and some chrome mixed in. It's all very open. Her bed, closet and the bathroom are elevated by a step from her living room and tiny kitchen. The whole place has hardwood floors that look like they've been cleaned recently. Maybe she really is bored.

"Don't turn around unless you wanna get flashed," I hear her say as the bathroom door opens.

I blush at that but not because she said it. More because I can see her in the reflection of the TV as she walks over to her closet.

"Not really used to other people being here," she says as I hear her move clothes around.

"What about the H&H guys?" I ask. It's the easiest way for me to ask about her hookups.

"Yeah, right," she responds and it sounds like there's a hint of sarcasm in there. It makes me wonder if she really does bring guys back here.

I decide not to get into that though and instead just wait for her to get dressed. I'm suddenly nervous about us eating together without anyone else to make conversation with. It feels like I'll need all the topics I can think of.

After another minute, Faith appears in front of me in jeans and a black tight t-shirt. "Acceptable?"

I nod and stand. "Come on. You're buying."

"What? Don't get all mad at me 'cause you can't use most of your pay," Faith says, a smirk on her face. "You don't have to go to college."

"Yeah, I do." I sigh as I follow her out the door. "Which is why you should buy."

"We'll see."

* * *

><p>She totally bought me lunch!<p>

One of the coffee places near her apartment also sells sandwiches so we went there and Faith paid for both of our orders before I could even say anything. I almost wanted to laugh and kid her about it but I figured then I would actually have to pay.

"Aren't I intruding on yours and Red's sacred ritual?" Faith asks as we sit down.

I look at the table and realize she means the mochas. "Nah, it's not a thing. Besides, when we ask you to come along you say no."

"I guess so."

We eat quietly for a minute while I try to think of what to say. It doesn't take long for me to realize I know very little about her. The only topics we normally talk about have to do with slaying and that's not what I want to talk about today. Then I'd still be treating her as a colleague and not as someone I want to know more about.

"Why don't you ever wanna hang out with us at the Bronze?" I finally decide to ask.

She gives me a confused look. "I kinda figure you just wanna hang with your friends at the end of the night."

"But we always ask you to stay," I respond. "Don't you notice that when we get there the gang always has two spots saved?"

"I figure they're just being polite."

I sigh. "Don't you want to be friends with any of us? Don't you wanna be friends with me?"

That throws her a little and she sets her sandwich down. "Buffy, you're friends don't want to hang around me. Willow gets instantly jealous whenever just the two of us talk and Xander . . . he only wants to fuck me again."

I blush lightly at her choice of words. Her one night stand with Xander was something that she admitted was a big mistake. She let the adrenaline from the slay get to her and Xander was just there. Afterwards, he thought they would be a couple but that word doesn't seem to be in Faith's vocabulary.

There was some fallout with that but Xander seemed to get over it, even if the infatuation was still there. I think he still feels he has a chance with her even though she's never given him a second look since. The real fallout was with Willow anyway. She seemed to take what happened personally and gave Faith the cold shoulder for awhile after. Everything's okay now but it definitely put a strain on the group for a few weeks.

"What about me?" I ask. "Don't you wanna be friends with me?"

Faith looks at me like she's confused. "We're together almost every day."

"That's not what I mean." I let out a small sigh. "We don't do anything together that doesn't have something to do with slaying. All we do is maybe train a little during the day, meet with Giles and go on patrol. Some nights we don't even do that together."

"And?"

She really can be frustrating. "And, Faith, that means we're more like coworkers than friends. Friends hang out after work, maybe have a drink and joke around. They go to movies together or even meet up for lunch. They know shit about each other."

"I know about you."

"Two way street, Faith," I say. "You've said yourself that you don't do much during the day and I don't have to deal with college for a couple months."

"So you want to hang out?" Faith asks and I nod. "What about everyone else?"

"Friends, Faith. I want everyone to be friends but I think it's insane that it feels like we're not friends. I want that to change."

Faith looks down and I really hope she doesn't come back with something sarcastic. My offer is completely genuine and it'll hurt if she laughs it off. She has to know I'm not kidding. If she thinks she knows me then she knows I won't take any of her jokes lightly.

"I've never had any friends," she mumbles out.

I don't believe that. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I've never really had any friends," she says as she looks back up. "In case you couldn't tell, I like to be on my own."

"Do you really or is it that way out of necessity?" I lean forward a little. "I don't know anything about you so I have no idea." I pause to make sure I really have her attention. "You know you can trust me, right?"

When she looks into my eyes I can see she does. "Yeah, I do, B. I don't do that for just anyone either but I know you've got my back."

I have to smile at that. "Great. So what do you want to do after lunch? Movie?"

Faith gets a look on her face that makes me think I should be worried. "I've got a better idea."

* * *

><p>"Shoot that guy, B!"<p>

"I don't know what to do!"

"Shoot him!" Faith yells as she places her hands over mine on the controller and starts helping me press the right buttons.

After lunch we walked back to Faith's apartment and now we're sitting on the floor with our backs against the couch playing videogames. Or at least, I'm attempting to play and am doing a very bad job of it. Faith gave up on playing a few lives ago and is trying to help me instead.

Her help only prolongs the game for a few more seconds though because before I realize it my little guy on the screen is dead and Faith's hands move away from mine. She's all frustrated at my inability to learn the game and it's all I can do not to laugh at her frustration.

"B, I keep showing you the right buttons. It's so easy." Faith leans back against the couch, shaking her head at me.

"I'm trying," I insist. "Videogames just aren't my thing."

She's still shaking her head, like I should be just as good as she is at whatever game she has in the Playstation right now. Just because I'm a slayer it doesn't mean I'll be any good at a fighting game. Hitting a combination of buttons to kick a bad guy isn't nearly as fun as actually kicking a bad guy.

"How come you're so good at this one?"

"Play when I'm bored," Faith says, smiling as she looks at me. "It's kinda boring during the day but I don't really wanna get a day job and I don't think Giles wants me to either."

"Yeah, I got that impression, too."

Faith nods. "So I play around on these things. Never had one when I was growing up but I always wanted one. First thing I bought when the Council started paying us was that." She points to the Playstation. "Really sucked on that motel TV but it kicks ass on this one."

I put the controller down and turn more toward her. "You never talk about before you came to Sunnydale. About Boston."

It's almost like a darkness covers her when I mention Boston because she looks away from me and stands. "You want anything to drink before I torture you with another game?"

"Faith," I start as I stand and follow her as she walks toward the fridge, "you can tell be about anything that happened. You know that, right?"

"Here's the thing, B," Faith says as she twists open the cap on a bottle of water. "Maybe I'll tell you stuff about Boston someday but today's not that day. There aren't many good memories. Gotta space 'em out."

She smiles at the end but I know she's telling the truth. I've always thought she didn't have the happiest of childhoods so that doesn't surprise me. What does is that I didn't get a more sarcastic answer. That kind of impresses me.

"I'm not asking for a lot, Faith." I walk around the couch so I only a few feet away. "Just the basics since I only know the slaying stories and the names of a few boyfriends."

"Never thought you wanted to know," Faith says as she raises an eyebrow, "and if I remember correctly, you weren't all about sharing the personal info either."

I'm a little at a loss for words there because she's right and she knows it. She's got a smirk on her face as she takes a drink. "Fine, you're right but that's something I want to change."

"Okay."

This seems too easy. "So if I ask you a question you'll answer it?"

Faith hands me a bottle of water and moves to sit down on the couch. "Only if I can ask, too."

"Deal." I sit down at the other end of the couch and turn to face her. "Last name?"

"Lehane. Middle name?"

"Anne. Birthday?"

"December 14th. Where's your dad?"

"LA. My parents got divorced before we moved to Sunnydale."

"Sucks. 'Cause of the slaying?"

I shrug at that and realize she probably wants me to get into it so I'll stop asking questions. "And your parents?"

"Pretty sure they're both alive if that's what you're asking. My dad split when I was real little and my mom didn't really want kids."

"Sucks." By the look on her face I know better than to ask a follow up question to that answer. "Why do you like videogames so much?"

"I don't know." She looks down like she's thinking about it. "I guess I like that I can control the outcome. If I know what I'm doing I can do whatever in there." She points toward the TV. "It's pretty fun, too."

"I'll take your word for it."

Faith laughs. "That's just 'cause you haven't gotten the hang of it yet. Once you start winning you'll never wanna leave."

I narrow my eyes a little "I don't think so."

We just look at each other for a moment and I can see the wheels turning. I have a feeling she's trying to test how much I'll really try to get to know her. Even though she's been a little more talkative this afternoon than any other time, I can still feel that she doesn't fully believe that I genuinely want to be friends.

She looks down at her stack of games. "What about a racing game?"

"You have one of those? I thought you just like the fighting ones."

"This is close enough."

I'm not sure I like the grin on her face as she puts a game called Grand Theft Auto into the Playstation. There isn't a chance this will end well for me.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** thanks to everyone who's been reading/reviewing. It's much appreciated! :)

Chapter Two

* * *

><p>"You hung out with Faith yesterday?"<p>

I nod as Willow and I stand around in the kitchen as I try to figure out what to eat for breakfast. "Yeah."

"Most of the day? Really? Faith?"

"Yes, Will," I say and try not to sigh. It shouldn't be this shocking. "As much as you probably don't want to be anywhere near Faith one on one, I think it's important that I at least try to be friends with her. She's the only one who knows what it's like to be me."

"I never said I didn't want to be anywhere near her," Willow says, looking away from me.

"That's kind of what it's looks like," I respond and try to smile. "You just need to get over the whole Xander thing. It's been a few months and everyone else has decided to forget about it. Faith's actually kind of fun to hang out with."

"What did you do?"

"She attempted to teach me how to play video games on her Playstation."

Willow starts laughing and I start to scowl. "Sorry, Buff, but I can't even begin to imagine what that would be like. Maybe she doesn't want to be friends after that."

"It wasn't that bad," I insist. It was pretty bad though. Faith made it seem like it wasn't but I was terrible and apparently can't be taught even after hours of trying. "Okay, maybe Faith just has incredible patience when it comes to that. You should join us next time."

"I don't know about that. Faith never talks about anything but slaying and then she's only talking to you. Well, she talks about . . ." she doesn't finish her sentence but I know what she's getting at. The blush says it all.

"We didn't talk about slaying yesterday . . . or anything else you would think." I can tell right away she doesn't believe me. "Okay, we didn't talk about slaying until we actually went slaying. We talked about other stuff, too."

"So there's more to Faith than slaying and tight clothes?"

I nod. "Yeah, there is. She's just never really had friends before and has huge trust issues. I'm working on that though. If she trusts me while we're slaying she should all the time."

Willow looks a little uncomfortable but then says, "Faith is kind of intimidating. Like, everything about her is all in your face."

I know what she's getting at because that's what I used to see before yesterday, too. I can't help but wonder if she's talking about the way Faith dresses, too. That's not something I can bring up without causing both of us to blush though given the amount of cleavage and skin she shows. "I think that's just for show."

"You're really serious about wanting Faith to hang out with all of us more, aren't you?"

"Yeah." I nod. "She's gonna be around for as long as, well . . . for awhile and she doesn't need to live the normal 'fight alone' slayer lifestyle. I'd like to think we've proved being a slayer doesn't have to mean being alone."

"Group slaying," Willow says, smiling. "We definitely started a trend."

"And Faith is one of that group."

She nods. "What are you suggesting we all do together?"

"Nothing big. I'm taking baby steps here," I say. It's a little funny I'm afraid I'll scare Faith off but it's a legitimate fear as far as I'm concerned. "Do you have plans tonight?"

"Yeah, Oz doesn't have practice and the Dingoes aren't playing so it's date night." My best friend gets a cute little lovesick smile on her face. "Tomorrow maybe? It'd just be me since Oz'll be at practice."

The fact that I think I have Willow on board with my plans to make Faith part of the group for good makes me immediately smile. It's also cute how she acts when she talks about Oz. She's crazy about him and what's even better is that he's pretty crazy about her, too. That's another reason for me to hang out with Faith. I'd be the third wheel otherwise.

"Maybe you can meet us for patrol and we can hang out afterwards."

Willow still looks a little nervous but nods. "It's a plan."

* * *

><p>It's been a couple of days since I've seen Faith and I'm a little worried she thinks I didn't have a good time when I was at her apartment. I had said we would hang out more and now it might look like I'm trying to avoid her and I'm so not.<p>

My mom wanted to have a mother/daughter day the day after we hung out so instead of hanging out with Faith I was doing some shopping. I almost thought about asking her if Faith could come along but my mom has been getting all sentimental about me leaving for college so it was probably for the best that Faith didn't see the mushiness.

The next day I spent at the gallery because a shipment came in and my mom needed help. It went late so I had to change the plans of having a girls' night with Willow and Faith. I didn't even get a chance to patrol much so I didn't even see her then. Now I have to try to do that tonight and convince her I'm not avoiding her.

"Buffy, honey," I hear my mom call from downstairs, "Faith is on the phone."

I don't think Faith has ever called me. It feels a little weird. "Coming!"

My mom's holding the phone out for me when I get downstairs and smiles as I take it from her. If I didn't know any better I'd think she was up to something. "Hey, what's up?"

"I've been invited to dinner for one."

I look back at my mom and she's doing her very best to ignore my stare. "Really?"

"Yeah, that's cool, right?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

There's a pause on her end and having her come over shouldn't be this awkward. "I dunno. I just . . . we hung out and then I didn't hear from you for a couple days and you didn't show during patrol. Thought maybe I scared you off."

"Not possible," I say. "Willow might meet us for patrol tonight."

"No Oz tonight?"

"I think he's with the band."

I can almost see her nodding. Now that we're talking on the phone I realize that most of what I get from Faith I pick up from her body language.

Not that I'm constantly checking out her body all the time or anything.

"B? You still there?"

"Yeah," I say quickly, "yeah, still here. You coming over or what? It looks like my mom's gonna go all out."

She laughs. "Well, I don't wanna disappoint then. See you in a few."

Faith hangs up before I can say anything else and I'm left holding the phone for a moment before setting it down. It never dawned on me that not seeing her for a couple days after making a big deal that we should be friends would make her think that maybe I'd changed my mind. I guess I should've known she might react like that after what she'd said when we hung out though.

"Is Faith coming over?"

I walk into the kitchen and see my mom is in full on cooking mode. "Yeah, she's coming over now."

"I must say I like that the two of you are finally starting to talk to each other. I had thought that once Faith came to Sunnydale she would be over here all the time. It seems like you two would have so much in common."

"I don't know," I say as I lean against the counter. "Faith's not much of a talker, I guess. I kind of want to change that."

"It would be nice to have her take over more of the slaying so you can concentrate on college, don't you think?" my mom says and that's not the first time she's said it. She's all about me going to college and when she heard that Faith had no intention of joining me, the thought that I wouldn't have to be a full-time slayer moved to the front of her mind again.

I shake my head lightly. "That's not how it works, Mom. We're both equally responsible."

She looks like she really wants to fight me on that but she doesn't. I think she knows it's a losing battle right now but I also know that's not the last I'll hear of it either. Ever since she found out I was a slayer she's been in denial that this will always be my life. Sure, I can have friends and maybe a more normal life if I'm still around in the future but I'll always have slaying. It's not going to go away.

Thankfully, my mom changes the subject and starts talking about something that happened at the gallery today and about something funny one of customers did. I just listen to her as she talks, occasionally asking a question. It's nice to be able to just have a normal conversation for once.

That's something else I want to change this summer. I want to be closer to my mom. Slaying kinda stopped that from happening the last couple years and I hate that I let that happen.

Soon the doorbell rings and I smile before walking over to the front door, opening it to find a nervous looking Faith on the other side. She looks as uncomfortable as I've ever seen her.

"Hey." Faith tries to smile and it looks off. I think that's because she's trying to keep her flirty smile in check.

Every smile Faith has looks flirty.

"Hey." I smile back. "Come in and try not to look nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

"Really?" I laugh quietly. "Could've fooled me." I close the door and walk with her into the living room. "It's not like you've never been over here before."

"Yeah, for slaying stuff," Faith says. "Other than that, it was just that one time when I first got here."

I think about that for a second and I know she's right but I have to think that part of the reason why she's nervous is because of my mom. I don't know anything about hers other than that what she said the other day but I'm sure my mom is the exact opposite. My mom never said she never wanted me, that's for sure.

"Just give me a sign if she asks a question you don't want to answer and I'll distract her," I say and that gets a grin out of her.

"It's cool, B," she says and I see she's starting to relax a little. "I bet your mom's pretty cool."

Before I can say anything about that my mom walks into the room and smiles warmly. "Faith, I'm happy you're here and I hope you're hungry."

"Always, Mrs. S," she says.

"Well, dinner's ready."

We end up in the dining room and my mom has made an amazing amount of food. I have this feeling that she overcompensating for the fact that she feels Faith doesn't get a good meal very often. That's probably true since I know for a fact that she lives on takeout but this meal is over the top. How am I going to patrol after eating all this?

"This is a lot of food," Faith comments as she sits down. "How is B so damn skinny when you cook like this?"

I can tell Faith's form of flattery is working instantly. "Well, this is a special occasion and I don't think you get a good meal much living in that apartment by yourself. Do you cook a lot, Faith?"

She shakes her head. "Nah, but there's a lot of good places near my place. It beats trying to burn my place down by trying to use the stove."

We all laugh a little at that and concentrate on eating for awhile. I can see Faith is trying her best to stay quiet and keep her attention on her food. I bet she thinks that way my mom won't be constantly asking questions.

"So, Faith, why aren't you going to school?"

Faith sets her fork down and stops eating for the first time since we've sat down. "School's never been my thing. Seems like going back would be a form of self-torture for me."

"Maybe you just need to find something you want to learn about."

She shrugs. "I kind of like just working a little and slaying."

My mom looks over at me and gives me a look that seems to say "see?" and I hope she doesn't use this time to try to get Faith to give me nights off or something. I'm trying to use the summer to get Faith to be my friend, not to convince her that she should take over for me.

"Besides," Faith adds, "Buffy's gotta do the whole college thing. I figure that means she'll need more time to study and less time for slaying."

"It doesn't mean that," I put in quickly before my mom can get too excited. "Giles is still going to want me to do all the slaying stuff and the Council will definitely want to get all their money's worth out of me."

Faith nods. "Yeah, they're probably keeping a close eye on us now that there's money involved."

"I have to say I don't care of that Quentin Travers much." Both Faith and I look at her with that comment. "He thinks he should have control over your lives and it's not right. Maybe you should've both quit the Council."

"It's fine for now, Mrs. S," Faith says. "They're paying us and they're letting B go to college. That's more than what they actually want at this point."

"If you say so."

"We're both fine with everything," I say, trying to add to what Faith said.

Faith takes the opportunity to look at the clock and then at me. "Is Willow coming here? 'Cause we should get going if not."

"I'll have to call her," I say then turn to my mom. "We should get ready to go. I might be at Faith's afterwards."

"Okay," she says as she stands and smiles, "please be careful."

"No worries, Mrs. S." Faith smiles again and I see she's more relaxed than when she first showed up. Maybe that's because my mom didn't ask her any personal questions. "I have her back."

Once we're in the living room again I turn to Faith. "I hope that's okay."

"What's okay?"

"We never said if we're doing anything after patrol but I just told my mom I might be over there," I explain. "I hope it's okay I said that."

Faith grins. "Sure thing, B. I liked hanging with ya."

Her smile is infectious because now I'm smiling, too. It makes me think if what will happen when we add Willow to the mix.

* * *

><p>"You tried to teach Buffy how to play Grand Theft Auto?"<p>

Somehow I knew this was coming. Faith and I met up with Willow a few blocks away from the first cemetery and it was a little awkward at first. I don't think either of them knew what to say to each other so no one said anything. That is, until Willow brought up my lack of understanding how to play any sort of video game.

Now they are talking . . . by making fun of me.

"It was pretty hysterical. I've never seen someone hit the wrong button so many times in a row."

Willow laughs and Faith laughs and I am definitely not laughing. "It is not that funny."

Faith puts an arm around my shoulders as we walk through the cemetery. We heard about a couple suspicious deaths so we're heading toward the new graves. That way we can stake them before they cause any trouble.

"It's a little funny, B." Faith has this relaxed grin on her face and it looks like making fun of me has made everyone more comfortable around each other. "Don't worry. I won't give up on you yet."

The smile on her face makes me smile. "I don't really like to embarrass myself. Isn't it easier to just watch a movie when you get bored?"

"For you, maybe."

We reach the graves then and Will and I take a seat on a couple of gravestones. You know, it seemed morbid for me to do that when I first got called in LA and now I don't even think twice. It makes me wonder how long it took for my friends to think walking through cemeteries at night was normal.

"So, Willow," Faith starts and I hope this ends well, "how pissed was your mom when you didn't pick one of those high and mighty colleges?"

Willow looks at me and I breathe a small sigh of relief. I was sure she was about to ask about Willow and Oz's sex life. "Uh, my parents kind of do their own thing. I got a full scholarship so they didn't have to pay and I think that's all that matters."

Faith laughs. "I would've figured you for an Ivy League kind of girl."

"Tempting but I don't think I can delve into magic the way I can here."

"Yeah," I agree, "there's no place like Sunnydale to study something paranormal."

It looks like Willow might want to ask Faith a question, she looks like she's finally more comfortable around her, when the dirt starts to shift. We watch as the newbie vamp crawls his way out of the ground. Faith's been standing so she's the one who pulls him the rest of the way out of the ground by his collar and stands him up.

"Sorry, man, but you gotta go," she says as he gives her a very confused look.

She stakes him quickly and I always think this is the easiest part about slaying. Unless the sire is close by, and most of the time they're not, most of the new ones have no idea what's happening when they rise. They're easy to stake and we're putting them down before they realize what they are. It's win-win.

"Was there more than just the one?" Willow asks as we both stand.

"I think the other one's in another cemetery." Faith gives me a look that tells me she wishes there were more than just one. "Let's check out the next one. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"I thought no vamps was a good thing," Willow comments as we follow Faith, who's walking away from the now empty grave.

"Only if you don't want to stake anything," I say.

"And you should always wanna stake something," Faith states quickly. She turns around and grins, her dimples on full show as she walks backwards. "Come on, Red . . . you can tell me embarrassing stories about B until we find something."

Will seems to really like that 'cause she's all smiles when she looks at me. I know it has more to do with the fact that Faith is actually talking to her and it's not awkward but I'm less than thrilled that it's at my expense. Can't they talk about something that doesn't involve discussing the stupid things I've done?

It's times like this I'm happy I've only been in Sunnydale a couple years. There's only a limited number of stories and therefore times I can be embarrassed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

* * *

><p>I've been hanging out with Faith pretty consistently for over a week now and I still don't know much about her. At least, nothing deeply personal. She's hasn't shared any of her hopes and dreams or anything like that.<p>

All I know is that she's fun to hang out with.

It's not like we've been constantly together but I do see her every day. If Willow's not around, I usually end up at Faith's apartment in the afternoon. We watch TV or do a little hand to hand combat that won't endanger any of her furniture. The Playstation is only on when I finally give in to playing.

I can't believe I even won that battle but I think as long as we do a little training she's okay with anything.

Today I decided to sleep in a little so by the time I got out of bed my mom had left for work and I had the house to myself. I know I'm not going to get this kind of privacy once I'm in the dorms so I try my best to make the most of it when I get the opportunity. It's part of the reason I never see Faith, or anyone else really, until the afternoon: morning are for me.

Breakfast consists of cereal and yogurt and I'm about to enjoy it on the couch while I watch a little crappy daytime TV when the doorbell rings. I'm still in my pajamas but I kind of figure it's Willow so I walk over to the door and open it to find . . . Faith, who's standing there with an amused grin on her face.

"Cute jammies, B," she says as she laughs quietly.

I look down and I think that my pajamas are adorable. They're light blue with little penguins on them. "What's wrong with them?"

"Aren't you a little too old for those?"

I narrow my eyes because there's a sex joke coming if I say the wrong thing. "Since they make these in adult sizes I'm gonna say no."

"I'd make a short joke but then I think you probably won't let me in," Faith says. "Which you have yet to do."

"Oh." I step aside to let her inside and shut the door behind her. "What's going on today?"

She shrugs. "I thought we could hang out here since you've been over at my place every day." She sets a bag she's been carrying on the floor next to the stairs. "And it's easier to train here. I don't exactly have a backyard or anything."

The weapons in the bag clink together as the bag hits the floor and it makes me wonder what she brought over. I don't have anything set up in the back or anything. Giles was supposed to find us a place to train but nothing's come of that yet.

"Don't worry, just small stuff," Faith says since she must see me eye the bag. "I'm not sure how it'd look if I carried the big weapons over here." She sighs as she sits on the couch. "I need a car."

"Like a slayer mobile?" I ask with a small grin on my face as I sit down next to her.

"Yes!" She's all excited now. "We could get a slaying van, only it won't be creepy."

"Vans are creepy?"

"The only people who own vans are band members and sickos."

She seems to know from experience but I pick my battles on getting her to talk more about herself. I try to only concentrate on the good. I pick up my bowl of cereal and eat a little. "Did you eat breakfast? You can grab some cereal if you want."

Faith's up and walking toward the kitchen before I'm even done talking. "Don't have to ask me twice, B."

The only thing I can do is laugh to myself as I concentrate on eating. I wonder if Faith will want to hang out all day. I can only imagine the amount of food my mom will make if she comes home and finds Faith here.

"I always knew you'd love the sugary, non-healthy cereal," Faith says as she walks back to the couch with a heaping bowl of cereal. "You always try to make it sound like you're into all that health food junk but I know better."

I shake my head. "I had yogurt, too. That healthiness evens out the cereal."

We look at each other before laughing and then start eating. Faith is a fast eater, like if she doesn't eat as fast as she can someone might take it away from her. When she first showed up in Sunnydale I was a little put off by it but now I know that's just a part of the whole Faith package and I don't think twice about it.

"What's Red do during the day anyway? I almost thought she'd be over here."

Now that's a funny story. "She's probably at work."

Faith's eyebrows shoot up. "One of you actually has a job. You're joking, right?"

"Her parents are making her intern at a law office or something," I explain. "It's their form of punishment for her choosing UC Sunnydale and not some Ivy League place."

"Punishment?" Faith manages to laugh out. "Her parents think way differently than mine."

I can only shrug at that. Willow's parents are a little weird but it is Sunnydale. "They want her to see what she'll be missing by not going to a top notch school, especially when all of them were offering full scholarships. I guess they think staying in Sunnydale is career suicide."

"It's really a whole other kind of suicide to stay in Sunnydale." Faith sets her now empty bowl on the coffee table. "Mrs. S seems to be the type who'd want you to get a job, too."

"I think it probably crossed her mind once or twice, especially since she sees that you're working and slaying at the same time." I shake my head. "Thanks for that."

"Hey, not my fault I get bored."

"Kind of is," I counter but I'm not serious. Nothing about any of our conversations lately are serious. "But my mom is letting me have one last relaxing summer anyway."

Faith leans back on the couch and closes her eyes for a second. I look down at my empty bowl before taking hers and walking to the kitchen to clean up. By the time the bowls are in the sink I hear Faith lean against the counter.

"Have you ever had a job, B?"

The fact I have to think for a moment says more before I even say a word. "Does babysitting count?"

"For your sake, I'll say yes."

I laugh at that. "And you? I mean, before this bar one."

"Does being a thief count?"

Only Faith would say something like that with the look she does now. It's not quite a smile but not quite a smirk. I shake my head at her before walking out of the kitchen with Faith following close behind. We settle back in on the couch and I think I can get her to talk a little more about herself. Call me crazy but I think she just gave me a little window.

"Are you talking about Boston or here?"

Faith turns to me and the look on her face is unreadable. "Little of both . . . which do you wanna know about?"

"Let's start with Boston."

"Okay," Faith agrees. "So before I was called I was kind of a delinquent. I didn't really hang out with the greatest people and we used to kind of steal stuff from stores for the hell of it."

I don't think Faith realizes that she has a tell when she isn't telling the complete truth. She can't look anyone in the eye and she's not doing that now. "That's not all though, right?"

She shrugs. "When my ma was being her normal neglectful self I might have stolen some food here and there and maybe some clothes for school. I was on my own a lot and sometimes I just had to steal to get by. Too young to get an actual job, you know?"

There are at least a dozen questions in my head now but then she's either gonna make up a reason not to answer them and leave or she's just gonna brush me off. I don't want either but I still want to know more. "And what about Sunnydale?"

"I didn't live in that disgusting motel 'cause I wanted to, B. I had to scam and steal and try to get by the only way I knew how. No one else was looking out for me but me."

I smile. "But you don't have to do that anymore at least."

Faith smiles back. "Guess I finally caught a break. Only took 18 years."

"It couldn't have been always that bad in Boston."

"Well," Faith starts out but then stops and narrows her eyes at me, "what's with me doing all the talking here? When you wanted to ask me all these questions we agreed that I would be asking you questions, too."

And there goes my line of questioning. I knew she would catch on quickly. "Sure . . . go ahead."

The look on her face makes me a little nervous. "Willow told me once you were different before you got called. Like, Cordelia different. Is that true?"

I nod. "I was popular if that's what you mean."

"Prom queen?"

I nod again and I know this is gonna end with her teasing me about something. "I was a cheerleader and was in the popular crowd and pretty much had anything I wanted before I was called."

"And you probably didn't give the masses a second look."

The look she's giving me is not something I really like but that's because I know what she's getting at. I was a kind of a bitch before I was called and one of the good things that came out of being the slayer was that I grew out of being that person. I don't think I would end up being a decent adult if I hadn't been called.

"I guess getting called was a good thing in a way," I say quietly. "Slaying made me an outcast with my friends because I was always running off and making excuses at why I was late or why my clothes were dirty and ripped up when I eventually showed."

"Is that what happened when you and your ma moved here?"

"I don't know," I admit. "Cordelia and her minions started to befriend me but then I saw how they treated people and I knew I wouldn't fit in. They didn't really like me after that."

Faith smiles a little. "Who were they picking on? Willow?"

She knows me too well. "Yeah," I confirm. "I like to think I made the right choice."

"Yeah," Faith agrees. "I probably wouldn't have stuck around if I had shown up and someone like Cordy was the slayer. I would've done what I needed to do and gotten the hell outta here."

If I didn't know Faith as much as I do I know that could probably be an insult. Who knows? It still might be but looking into her eyes right now it's probably a compliment. I'm part of the reason she stuck around after we got rid of Kakistos.

"I like that you stayed," I say. "It made the last year a lot easier."

"Cool."

We both look away from each other and neither of us says anything for a minute. Faith starts to pick at some imaginary fuzz on her shirt and it makes me contemplate whether or not I can continue to ask her questions.

"Faith?"

She looks at me and gives me a small smile. "Yeah?"

"Are all those slaying stories true? Seriously, no lying."

Faith laughs. "Yeah, they're true."

I narrow my eyes a little. They really can't all be true. "I don't know that I completely believe that. Some of them were pretty . . ."

"B, when I got here I was told some pretty unbelievable stories, too. You can't believe that I saved people while naked but I'm supposed to believe you guys were getting sucked into the floor of the high school? Are you serious with that?"

Maybe she does have a point there. I hold up a hand in surrender. "Okay, you have a point but can you really say there was zero exaggeration on your part?"

Now it's her turn to narrow her eyes at me. "Maybe I make it a little more dramatic."

"I knew it!"

"But it all still happened!"

I start laughing at her because the look on her face is so animated and it only takes a few seconds for her to join me. Faith looks so happy and carefree when she laughs like this, not like when she first arrived in Sunnydale. She's not as guarded anymore, at least not around me. I think she trusts me more now.

Faith stops laughing and hits me in the arm lightly. "So what will your neighbors think if they see us fighting with knives in the backyard?"

"They'll get over it," I say. Honestly, I probably couldn't even name most of my neighbors if Faith asked. "No one really looks in the backyard."

"Let's do it then, girlfriend."

* * *

><p>"Does your mom really think I'm gonna show up for dinner every night?"<p>

I shrug. "Is it really that bad?"

The last three days we've been hanging out at the house instead of Faith's apartment so we can have more space to train. After the first time we worked on some hand to hand fighting in my backyard we hung out at Faith's the next day. We got bored and sparred a little . . . until we broke her coffee table.

Faith was not happy about that.

My mom usually comes home from work while we're still going at it and just assumes Faith is staying for dinner. It wasn't a big deal until tonight when she joked that she was just going to have to make food for three every night from now on. It was just a joke, my mom hinting that we spend a lot of time together now, but I'm pretty sure Faith took it the wrong way.

"Maybe I should just stick with hanging with you during the patrol," she comments as we walk toward our first cemetery. "And maybe you could do that solo for a couple nights. I gotta work anyway."

Yep, she definitely took it the wrong way.

"Faith, she was kidding." I smile at her in an attempt to get her to stop overreacting. "It's just that we're finally starting to hang out more and we used to go days and days without even seeing each other. My mom noticed."

Faith grumbles something but even with slayer hearing I can't make it out. I knew Faith was a little sensitive when it came to, well, most social settings, but I had thought that once she was fully in with our group that some of that would go away.

She might try to play it that she's full of confidence and doesn't care what anyone says about her but I know better. It's actually the first thing I noticed when she came to Sunnydale but calling her on it was never a good thing. No matter how much she tries to play that nothing gets under her skin anytime someone makes a comment that maybe she's somewhere she might not belong all the light leaves her eyes.

I stop and grab her arm. "Don't do what you're doing right now."

"What? Walking?" she asks sarcastically.

"You know what I mean," I challenge and even though she shakes her arm away I don't let go. "You want to be one of the gang, right? You want to be friends with me?"

She nods slowly. "Yeah, B. That's why we've been hanging out."

"Then you need to learn that when people notice you've been hanging around more than normal, they're not necessarily trying to get you to leave." I let go of her arm. "Especially not my mom. Trust me, she wants to feed you. She keeps nagging at me that eating takeout every day isn't good for you."

"Oh . . . I guess I didn't think about that."

"So now you realize you're being stupid?"

Faith scowls. "I don't think I would go that far."

I smile and put an arm around her shoulders. Her shoulders tense for a split second but then she relaxes against me. Faith isn't used to us being all buddy-buddy so it's not often that I have an arm around her shoulders. But it's feels pretty natural for me.

We don't talk for a few minutes as we talk through the cemetery. There still isn't the amount of vamps that Faith would like because we only come across a handful each night but we're slowly getting more action. Even though I knew it wouldn't last forever I really liked having a break from all the slaying. It meant I could actually relax.

Faith and I don't think the same on that. It's easy to see that since the moment she sees a vamp off in the distance she moves away from me and is off and running.

"I got this one, B!"

There isn't a chance that I would be able to catch up with her and attempt to fight for the chance to slay so I only continue walking in the direction she's run off to. A couple seconds later I hear the sounds of a fight and I move a little faster but only to see Faith in action.

She does put on quite a show when she slays.

When I make it to the fight it's only in time to see Faith dust the vamp. He must have gotten a hit in though because her lip is bleeding. She doesn't look all that happy about it either since she's scowling as she touches her lip.

"Are you okay?" I ask as I put my fingers up to her lip. I don't exactly touch her though but that's because she's looking at me weird.

"Just caught me off guard," she says as she wipes her lip and smirks at me. "Not getting rid of me that easily."

"No one wants to get rid of you."

"I dunno," Faith says as she stays within a few inches of me. She's close enough that I'm very aware that she's still breathing heavily from the fight. "You sure took your sweet time in getting here. What if I needed backup?"

I think she's almost daring me to back away but I don't want to be the one to blink first. We are competitive about everything lately. "You can handle yourself."

Faith smirks and winks. "Damn right."

There really isn't anything I can say to that. Even though I think Faith can be a little sensitive she still doesn't lack for confidence when it comes to slaying. All I can do after Faith takes down a vamp is shake my head and smile. Anything else will feed her ego.

"Come on, B," Faith says as we start walking again, "I bet we can find a few more in the next cemetery."

I shrug. "You know, you should like that we get a break right now. I'm okay with only coming across a few vamps a night. It won't always be that way."

"How can you get any aggression out if there aren't any vamps?" Faith raises an eyebrow then wiggles them. "How do you get out all that extra energy?"

I knew somehow this would turn into a sex thing. "I don't need to get out any extra energy."

Faith narrows her eyes and it looks that she's trying to figure out what to say. I know she could easily go the crude route but she hasn't been doing that much lately. She really picks her moments.

"We both know that's a lie." And here it comes. "I bet you just need someone to help you get rid of that energy you're not using on slaying."

"Faith . . ."

"Maybe that's why you always wanna go to the Bronze!" she continues. "You finally are gonna go with the flow and find someone to . . ."

"Faith!"

She looks at me like I'm crazy. "What?"

I point away from her. "Uh, company?"

Faith finally sees the trio of vampires that have noticed us and are beginning to walk in our direction. "I guess we're working out our aggression the old fashioned way."

And thank God for that.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

* * *

><p>The nights that Faith works are normally the nights I patrol alone for half the night or when I hang with Willow at the Bronze. She can work some late hours so when she's says she has to be at the bar I assume I'm just not gonna see her that night.<p>

Tonight's different in that Faith thought she'd have an early night so we could hang out after her shift, maybe go the Bronze or something. It's also different in that I've never met her at the bar before. Hell, I've never even been there before other than to wait for her while she picks up her check.

And there's a good reason for that: the place she works at is gross.

Giles isn't the only one who wants her to work somewhere else but for some reason she likes it and I have a feeling she's paid pretty well, too. Faith's pretty much the bartender, bouncer and is definitely the only pretty face there. The owner pays for all that.

She was also supposed to get out of there early tonight and that was the only reason I agreed to meet her there. The place is just a little too skuzzy for me to hang out while she works but that's what I'm doing right now because the guy who was supposed to take over for her never showed. I guess that's the hazard of living in Sunnydale. Sometimes people just don't show.

Now I'm stuck waiting at the bar while Faith helps drunks and looks apologetically at me. "Sure you don't want anything to take the edge off?"

I've been sitting at the end of the bar in the corner nursing a diet coke trying my best to blend into the background. Faith's been checking on me every few minutes while she curses and waits on the owner to say she can leave. "I'm fine, Faith."

"You don't have to wait for me, you know," she says as she looks over the bar. It's not exactly crowded but there's enough to where she can't just leave either. There's only two other employees there. "You can head to the Bronze or call it a night or something."

It's starting to get a little late to meet anyone at the Bronze but I'm not going to tell her that yet. "No, it might die down at some point and you'll be able to get out of here."

Faith gets a new look of determination on her face. "I'll see if I can light a fire under someone."

She walks off and starts talking to the other bartender there, getting very animated in the process. If I were her I would just quit but Faith sees things differently. I do not see the appeal though. This place is creepy. I'm more comfortable at Willy's than I am here. At least I know what I'm dealing with when I walk in there.

"Hey, honey!"

Oh, shit. There's been a guy drinking steadily since I got here and I could tell he's been looking at me every once and awhile. He's overweight, looks like he hasn't showered in days and is pale but not in a vampire way. Not only is all that unappealing but he's got a gross grin on his face as he walks up to me and leans against the bar.

"Haven't seen you in here before," he slurs out. "Having a good time?"

"The best," I say sarcastically and look past him toward Faith. She's not looking my way so she doesn't see that she needs to be done with her shift right now.

"What do you say we get you a stronger drink and then I can show you a good time?" He smiles and shows that he's missing a couple teeth. I wonder how so many people die in Sunnydale each year from vamps but this idiot has managed to escape all that.

"Hey, Joey! Back off!"

Faith comes up behind him and pulls in a few feet away from me. She's got her jacket on so I think that means we're finally getting out of here. Her eyes meet mine and I can tell she feels bad. "Go get yourself another drink, okay?"

He looks at her then to me and back again and laughs. "Oh, I get it. Not enough room for me in this picture."

We look at him as he keeps on laughing while walking away and Faith begins to walk us toward the door. "What did he mean by that?"

"Nothing, B," Faith says as we walk outside and down the street. "Where do you wanna go?"

"I think the first question is how did you convince your boss that your shift was over?"

She laughs quietly. "I explained that if he didn't I would just walk out and then he would be stuck trying to find someone who could handle the bar, be a bouncer and look hot while doing it. The decision was pretty easy."

We laugh at that and I start to think about what we can do now. I made a quick sweep of a couple of the more active cemeteries and even though we can always find vamps to stake if we really want to that's not what I would consider a good bonding activity.

Faith looks at her watch before putting an arm around my shoulders. "Shit, it's later than I thought."

"Yeah."

"I completely fucked up our plans, didn't I?"

"I wouldn't completely say that."

She groans. "Sorry, B. I should've put my foot down earlier. Then you wouldn't have had to deal with the regulars there."

I shrug. "It's all right. Now when Giles tries to get you to different job I'll know exactly what to say to convince you to listen to him."

"Very funny."

Neither of us says anything for awhile as we walk. I'm trying to think about what we can do but it really is too late to do much of anything outside of getting some food a one of the two all night diners. I have a feeling Faith is thinking along those lines because after a couple turns I know we're walking toward her apartment and away from any of the usual hangouts.

"You wanna hang out for a while at my place? I know it's not the same as the Bronze or meeting up with everyone else but I do have leftover pizza."

"We can always go to mine. There's some leftovers that have your name on them."

They literally do have Faith's name on them. She didn't come over for dinner tonight 'cause of work so my mom made up a plate for me to take to her. I couldn't exactly do that since I was going to the bar but I figured she'd be over tomorrow for them.

"Nah, don't wanna wake up your mom or anything." Faith grins. "And I picked up a couple movies we can check out."

Faith does that. When we hang out she tries to be doing something so that it's impossible for us to have a conversation. I'm okay with that at the moment because there are still plenty of times where we talk and she doesn't blow off my questions. I found that she's a great listener, too.

When we get closer to her apartment, Faith's arm drops from my shoulders but she doesn't move away from me. "B, we're friends, right?"

Where is this coming from? "Yeah, and I'm pretty sure it was my idea," I say, laughing a little. "I still think you're just going along with it."

She laughs. "Nah, you know that's not true."

"Yeah, now I do."

Faith lets out a breath. "No, seriously, we're friends and all."

I nod and try to read the look on her face. It looks like she's thinking over something but doesn't know if she should let me in on it. "Yes, Faith. We're friends."

"Cool, 'cause you're kinda the first friend I've ever had and I don't wanna say something that will make you realize that all this was a mistake."

"Not gonna happen, Faith. So far all you've shown is you're pretty fun to hang out with. I don't think I'd put up with you every day if I didn't think that."

"You're just a little comedian tonight."

I wait for her to say something else because it really feels like she wants to but she doesn't. "Faith . . . is there something you want to say?"

She furrows her brow slightly. "Just have been wondering about things I guess."

"Why? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," she says as we get to the door of her apartment. "Just forget I said anything. It's nothing."

We stop at the door and when I turn to look at her Faith looks away from me for a second. It looks like she's cursing under her breath which completely surprises me. I understand that this whole friend thing is new but I don't want her to think that there's something she can do or say that will just make me not want to hang out with her. A choice like that would never be that simple.

I can't help but give her a hug when I see that. I don't know why she's being so hard on herself but she needs to stop. "I don't know what's wrong, Faith, but you can talk to me."

She moves away from me after a few seconds. "I'm just a shitty friend. I make us miss everyone at the Bronze and you had to wait at the bar for me. I know that wasn't fun for you."

"It's okay," I insist. "Sure, I don't understand why you work there but it doesn't bother me that we missed out on anything." I pause. "Why do you work there again?"

"Good money," she says quickly but she knows that's not the answer I'm looking for. "It reminds me of that semi-illegal lifestyle I grew up in. I know I'm supposed to want to get as far away from that life as possible but there's also a part that finds it kinda comforting."

"That's kinda weird, Faith."

She shrugs. "That's why I like working there. That and it's a good test of how far I can toss drunks."

We look at each other and laugh. "So we're good, right?"

"Yeah," she agrees and she's all smiles again. "So . . . movie?"

"Lead the way."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you finally have the morning off."<p>

Willow sits on my couch and sighs. "I think the people I work for owe a favor to my mom or something. It feels like I'm stuck in a filing room for hours every day."

I look over how she's dressing for the law firm and notice that even though she's still wearing bright colors, she's toned it down. "Did your mom pick out the clothes, too?"

She nods. "How can you tell?"

The only way I can respond to that is to laugh and soon she's laughing with me. "Kind of obvious, Will. I guess you have to go there later then, right?"

"Yeah," she says sadly. "I guess that means I won't see you until tonight. That is if you and Faith actually make an appearance."

"She had to work later than she should have," I explain. "She felt real bad about it, too."

"So how is all the slayer bonding going anyway?"

I have to think about that for a minute before I answer her. "Hanging out with Faith is fun and it's relaxing to know that we don't have to just talk about slaying or patrolling when we're together."

"She is fun to be around," Will agrees. "Faith seems to be more relaxed lately, too. More comfortable."

My best friend is definitely right about that. "I think she likes being in Sunnydale better than she did when she first came here. I told her that I'm not just gonna decide one day that I don't wanna be friends anymore. It feels like that's what she's afraid of."

"That would make sense."

"There's something else, too, but I can't quite figure it out."

Willow leans toward me slightly and raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Okay, so when you and I talk it's just normal, right?" She nods and I continue. "Well, it's different when it comes to when Faith and I have a conversation."

"You said she doesn't like talking about herself," Will points out. "Maybe that's what you're feeling. And you have to coax all the answers out of her. Definitely not something you have to do with me or even with Xander."

"That's true."

"Or it could be . . ."

I wait for more to come but Willow just stops and doesn't say anything else. I know she's thinking something because of the look she has but maybe it's so crazy she doesn't want to share. Of course, that's not good enough for me.

"What, Will? Don't leave me with only half of your awesome Willow-approved knowledge."

"Okay, hear me out." She pauses. "Faith acts differently around you than the rest of us."

"That's because we're slayers."

"One, you can't use that explanation for everything," she says and I guess she's right. Both Faith and I tend to use that response more than we should. "And two, she looks at you differently."

"No, she doesn't."

Willow shakes her head. "When you talk her eyes go to you and when you're specifically talking to her, it's like you're the only one in the world."

I have to think about that for a second but I have to admit that I don't see it. There isn't any difference from the way Faith and I talk to how Willow and I are talking right now. "I don't think that's true."

"No, I'm sure of it and it's not because the two of you understand each other on a slayer level. That doesn't explain why she brightens up when she looks at you either."

"I don't see that."

"I know, Buff," Will says, a smile on her face. "The two of you are both a little clueless but I know Oz sees it. He's the one who pointed it out."

"You've been talking to Oz about this?"

Willow shifts a little and laughs quietly. "You know how he is. He just mentioned it one day and the next night when we were all together I noticed it, too."

Now I'm confused because I've never noticed and maybe I should have. Then again, none of that would change our friendship so I don't think it matters much.

When I look at my best friend again she has a little smile on her face. "You know what the weirdest part is?"

"What?"

"You do the same thing when you see Faith."

And now I'm even more confused but I don't have time to process it or object to Willow about it. There's a knock on the door and after a few seconds Faith walks in, a backpack over a shoulder. "Hey, B! You upstairs?"

"In here," I say and Faith walks into the living room, setting the backpack on the floor. I'm guessing she brought a change of clothes for training later. "I didn't expect you until a little later."

"We can't all be slackers like you," she says, a smirk on her face. "Hey, Red. How's work?"

"Boring," she answers and lightly nods her head toward me like I should see something. I don't though.

"Didn't mean to interrupt anything," Faith quickly adds. "I thought you'd be on your own this morning and we could bother Giles about a getting a place for us to train."

"You know if you do that he'll start in on you getting a different job."

"Necessary evil." Faith begins to backtrack toward the kitchen. "I'm gonna grab something to drink then we can get started."

Willow looks at the clock and sighs. "I guess I should get to work. It feels weird to say this but I can't wait for the summer to be over and college to start."

I laugh. "See you tonight?"

"It's a plan." She looks toward the kitchen. "See you later, Faith."

Faith yells something from the kitchen and Will and I laugh a little before she leaves. Faith walks back into the living room a few seconds later with juice and a granola bar. "She didn't leave 'cause of me or anything, right?"

I shake my head. "Nope, work calls."

She sits down on the couch where Willow used to be and puts her feet up on the coffee table. "Guess not everyone can be as awesome as us."

I look her over and try to find any evidence for what Willow told me to be true. I just can't though. Faith is looking at me like she always does. I'm sure of it. "Nope."

* * *

><p>The Bronze was kind of dead tonight so after hanging out with Willow and Oz for a couple hours I decided that I could use some sleep and Faith decided to leave with me. Willow gave me a little look as we left but I really think that both she and Oz are crazy.<p>

I really don't see what she thinks she does.

"Whoever runs the Bronze should get Oz's band to play there more," Faith comments as we walk away from the club. "The bands they've been getting the last couple weeks have been terrible."

"I think the Dingoes have been playing some out of town clubs lately," I say. "I think they'll be at the Bronze next week though."

Faith nods. "That's cool. It's always fun to see the look on Willow's face when they play."

We do kind of tease her about that. "It is."

Neither of us says anything for a minute as we walk through the streets of Sunnydale. There are still people out and about which always makes me frustrated. I understand that to live in Sunnydale most people need to have a very selective memory but seeing so many people walking around at night without a care in the world only shows stupidity. You can have a selective memory and still be smart enough to know to stay inside when it's late and dark out.

"You think Giles was serious about having us do separate patrols?"

When we were talking with Giles today and bothering him about getting a new slayer central since the library is no more he suggested that we wouldn't need to patrol together if there wasn't a lot of activity. He even brought up nights off so we could have a night to ourselves once and a while. I know most of that has to do with college and the fact that I patrol alone when Faith works but it's weird to hear Giles say it.

"Probably."

"Maybe he thinks we're a bad influence on each other."

I laugh. "Yeah, he probably thinks all my bad habits are rubbing off on you."

We laugh a little at that and I realize we've passed Faith's building. I guess that means we're going to my house tonight. Normally, if we're hanging out after the Bronze we stick to Faith's apartment 'cause then we're alone and there is zero chance of my mom checking in on us.

Faith must notice my eyes looking toward her apartment as we pass by. "I figured I'd just walk you back to your place."

"Oh . . . okay."

Another silence settles over us as we walk toward my house. All this walking does make me realize that it would be nice if one of us had a car. We're always walking everywhere and it feels like that's all we do some days.

"B, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"You've said a few times that you're not just gonna stop being my friend just 'cause I fuck up. Is that still true?"

We're in front of my house so I stop and look at her. "Are you thinking about fucking up or something?"

She grins, showing her dimples. "Nah, it's just . . . if I try something and it doesn't work out, we'll still be friends and everything, right?"

What is it about people confusing me lately? "Yeah, I guess but I don't understand what you're getting at."

We walk up to the front door and before I open the door I turn to Faith and that's when I think I see it. I think I see the look Willow was talking about. And the moment I notice Faith leans in and kisses me.

Faith kisses me.

It's so light and soft and it only lasts a matter of a couple of seconds before she moves away from me. She has a little smile on her face and I'm a little too shocked to really process anything. Could this be what Willow meant?

"See you tomorrow, B."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

* * *

><p>To say that Faith kissing me was a shock would be the understatement of the year but I had a major problem with said shock. Even though my brain was going a mile a second with all the reasons that might have made Faith kiss me, I still slept like a baby.<p>

It was kind of like my brain was freaking out but the rest of me didn't care.

Of course, now it's morning and I still have everything going through my head. I still can't think of why Faith kissed me other than maybe that's why Willow and Oz think she looks at me differently. That she "like" likes me.

Even thinking something like that makes me feel like I'm in grade school.

"Buffy, honey," my mom says as she rushes around the kitchen, "should I plan for three tonight?"

I poke at my eggs and think for a moment. "Not sure, Mom."

"Everything okay?" When I only shrug I hear her sigh. "Do you want to have lunch later? You can stop by the gallery and we can talk about what's bothering you." She pauses. "Is it Faith?"

"No," I say as I look up at her. "I'm fine."

"Okay," she says and she's looking me over like she should be able to see something wrong. "Stop by if you want otherwise I'll see you for dinner, okay?"

The only thing I do is nod as she places her hand on my shoulder for a second before rushing out the door. I watch her go before looking down at my breakfast and make up my mind that this shouldn't be a big deal. Faith never said anything else about it. I won't know what that kiss was about until I actually talk to her.

It isn't too long before I'm done eating and getting ready for the day. The more I think about it the more I want to talk to Faith. I'm not sure what my own feelings are at this point other than I look forward to the time I spend with her everyday but I want to know what she's been thinking.

Normally, we don't meet up until late morning or noon or whatever but I'm a little anxious and now I also don't want Faith to think I'm going to try to avoid her today. She was the one who kept asking if we would still be friends no matter what she did. I don't want to go back on what I said.

When I get to her apartment I knock on the door a couple times but there's no answer. It's not that early and unless she went out after she left me last night, I would think she would be awake, too. Now that she isn't off on her own all the time she's up early. She's told me as much. I'd like to think that means she's just out for a run or something.

"B?"

I turn around and notice Faith walking toward the door, a cup of coffee and a small bag in her hand. Her face is kind of a mask, too, 'cause when I try to determine her mood by the look on her face I can't. "Hey . . . I thought you'd be home."

"No food in the place except leftover takeout, you know that," she says with a smile. "So . . . breakfast."

"Okay."

Faith walks up to me and smiles almost nervously before moving past me and unlocking the door. She walks in and waits for me to follow before closing the door. I sit down on the couch and she sits down next to me, setting her breakfast down on the coffee table.

It's pretty obvious she's not gonna bring it up right away and I don't want to wait. I'm done with any sort of awkwardness where Faith's involved.

"So last night . . ."

She turns her head to look at me and I see something I didn't expect: she smiles easily. I figured there would be more nervousness there. "Not what you expected when I was asking you those questions, right?"

I shake my head. "Not really." I pause. "Why did you kiss me?"

"No matter what anyone else says about you I know you're smart, B," Faith says. "I really like spending time with you . . . I guess that turned into something more."

"Oh."

Faith raises an eyebrow. "I kind of expected a bigger reaction than that. You know, either one of those epic freak outs or, I don't know, maybe I could kiss you again."

I furrow my brow and think for a few seconds because I really don't know what to do. Outside of maybe a passing thought once or twice I haven't thought of Faith that way . . . in a romantic, "I want to see you naked" way. I mean, she's definitely attractive but I was concentrated with my own drama when she first came to town and I wasn't exactly the best friend to her.

Of course, now that we've been hanging out almost every day I see and think about Faith differently. I just don't know if we're on the same page with that though. Not that I didn't like that kiss though. It was pretty short but it was by no means horrible.

And then there was the fact that it felt normal . . .

"B?" Faith waves a hand in front of me. "Did I lose you?"

I blink a couple times. "Uh, no. I was just thinking."

She laughs quietly. "Do you always space out when you're thinking? 'Cause it would explain a lot."

"Stop it," I say as I playfully slap at her shoulder. "I don't know what to say."

Faith doesn't say anything right away and looks away from me. It makes me think she's upset that I haven't said that I want to date or anything like that. "So are we still friends?"

Why would she ask me that? "Faith, we've been over this more times than once. It would take a lot for me to decide this friends thing we're trying isn't working and this is definitely not one of them."

"But you don't feel the same way?"

The only way I can do this is to be honest. "I don't know what I feel. It's a little confusing actually."

Faith sighs and leans back on the couch, her breakfast long forgotten. "So what do we do? Should we just forget about it?"

As confused as I am, I know I don't want to forget about it. That's almost like ignoring a part of Faith and I won't do that. I want to know everything about her, even the part of her that apparently has feelings for me. "No, don't do that. Let's . . . let's just keep doing what we've been doing."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we continue hanging out and just see where this goes."

Faith looks like she's thinking it over and if she thinks this is my way of avoiding the topic then she's wrong. It's more my way of trying to figure out my own feelings.

"I guess we can do that," she finally says and moves a little closer to me. "So does this mean I can still kiss you? 'Cause I really wanna to right now."

The look on Faith's face is a little cute and I can't help but smile when I see it. "I didn't say you couldn't."

The smile turns into a grin as she leans in and carefully presses her lips against mine. I have to say, the kiss really doesn't suck. It's actually really nice. Faith's lips are so soft and I can feel how nervous she is as she kisses me. Within a few seconds, I even feel myself responding.

When Faith breaks away she still has a smile on her face and when her eyes meet mine I can see so much in them. She moves away from me and for the first time since we sat down she looks at her coffee and whatever breakfast she bought.

"I think my sandwich is cold."

"I guess I should've waited for you to eat before trying to have a deep and meaningful talk."

She laughs. "Nah, I'm okay with the talking . . . and the kissing. Just let me nuke my food and then we should get over to Giles' to report in."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

><p>"So Faith, I have a question."<p>

She looks at me as we walk through a cemetery. Giles read up on a prophecy and he thinks something might happen tonight. Well, either tonight or 42 years from now. He definitely thinks it's one of the two. Either way it means Faith and I are patrolling together and we're supposed to be extra vigilant.

"Shoot."

"Are you gonna, like, take me out or something?"

She stops walking and looks at me. "Take you out? You mean like dates and flowers and hand-holding and one of us doing the walk of shame in the morning?"

Now it's my turn to stop and look at her. "I'm going to say yes to most of that." I pause. "Walk of shame?"

Faith laughs. "Yeah, walk of shame. You know, that early morning walk home wearing last night's clothes that have been hastily collected off a bedroom floor."

"Oh." And now I know my face is red. I still haven't fully comprehended that Faith wants more than a simple friendship. Nowhere in my brain were thoughts of us . . . together . . . in that way.

There are now though. That doesn't exactly suck either.

"B, it's okay," Faith says as she puts a hand on my shoulder. "I was just kidding. Gotta keep you on your toes, ya know?"

Her eyes are on me and I can tell Faith's afraid she's freaked me out. I think it's time I change the subject. "So . . . have you ever dated a girl before?"

We start walking again and Faith doesn't say anything for a few seconds, just keeps her hand in her pockets and her eyes on the ground. "I don't know how to answer that one, B."

And here I thought it was a simple question. "What do you mean?"

Her brow furrows as she looks at me. "I mean, I don't know how to answer your question when you use the word 'date'. If I remember correctly, we've had a conversation like this where I told I didn't date anymore."

"Get some, get gone?"

Faith nods. "You see that it's hard to answer your question now, right?"

I have to agree to that. "So then you've . . . with a . . ." I end up stopping because I can't even say it. I'm a little embarrassed to be asking the question.

That's when she stops walking once again and stares at me. "B, this is why I don't like talking about my past. I don't want you to judge what I've done and it feels like if we have one of those deep and meaningful talks that you seem to want, well, that's what will happen. I don't want that."

"Hey, no judging here," I say immediately even though I know that if I would've asked that question when she first came to town I would have. That was before I knew her though, before she kissed me. "But if you want to keep up with the kissing and whatever then these are questions I'll probably ask."

Faith suddenly gets a dimpled grin on her face. "You need to explain what this 'whatever' is."

I can't help but laugh. "I kind of want you to answer my question."

"Uh, yeah," she says quietly. "A few months ago."

"Oh."

We hear some noise in the distance that stops our conversation and makes us move quietly to investigate. It's actually kind of a welcome break since I took our talk to a more serious area and maybe it wasn't the time for that. That seemed to be something to discuss when we're at her apartment when we're just hanging out.

When we get to where we heard the noise we see that it wasn't a vampire or a demon at all: it was a stray dog that runs away the moment it sees us. I laugh a little at that, that we mistake something we needed to slay with something kind of harmless, but when I look to Faith I see she doesn't share my amusement.

"I thought we'd actually get something to slay."

"I don't know. Think the dog was evil?"

Faith looks thoughtful for a moment. "What did Giles say we were looking for?"

"Vamp with glowing green eyes."

"Just great," Faith says, sighing as she keeps walking. "He was probably wrong and we're walking around like idiots trying to find a dude with green eyes. This is normally a quiet area, too. We should be at one of the cemeteries that has a lot of activity or at least the potential for some."

Giles had told us which cemeteries to go to and none of them were the ones we normally make sure to hit every night. "Let's just get through the ones he wants us to and then do our own thing."

When I look at her she's smiling. "Cool, let's us through this bullshit and find something better to do."

Sometimes it's like she's reading my mind.

* * *

><p>"So . . . Faith kissed me."<p>

Willow literally spits out her coffee when I say it. I probably should have waited until she wasn't drinking to let that one out. I know it's somewhat shocking. "What?"

"A couple nights ago Faith kissed me when she was walking me home."

My best friend looks at me like I have two heads. Maybe she thinks I'm joking but this isn't something I'd ever joke about. "And why am I hearing about this now?"

I look around at the other tables at the coffee shop we're at and realize everyone's too involved in their own conversations to be listening to ours. "Because your mom has you working all the time and I wanted to talk to Faith about it first."

Willow leans in. "So what happened?"

"Well, she was asking me questions about what would happen if she did something wrong. You know, if it would ruin our friendship. When I told her that wasn't possible she kissed me." I pause. "And then she went back to her place."

"Okay and then what happened when you talked to her about it?"

I smile a little when I think about it. "She said she likes me, Will. I think she wants us to, like, be a couple or something though we really didn't get that far."

She raises an eyebrow at me. "What does that mean?"

"What it means is that the kiss was a little confusing. It kind of surprised me, you know? I didn't think Faith would ever have those kind of feelings for me so when she asked me how I felt I was honest and said I didn't know."

"So you didn't really give her an answer." When I nod she shakes her head a little. "I can't imagine she took that well 'cause by the way she looks at you I can tell she likes you, Buff."

"No, she kind of accepted my non-answer," I say. "I asked if we could just continue hanging out and just kind of let whatever happens happen."

Willow still has that eyebrow raised and it's starting to annoy me. "But isn't that just leading her on? I mean, I can't imagine the two of you dating and stuff, my brain hasn't completely processed that one yet, but you can't do that to Faith."

"I know that." I let out a breath. "The thing is, Will . . . I think I do like her. We kissed again a couple times since and it definitely did not suck. I just . . . I don't know what to do."

Both of us are silent for a minute and I'm not sure what's going on inside my best friend's head. She's got that look on her face that she does when she's going over the possibilities of something. It's actually making me a little nervous because she's my best friend and while I want her advice I also don't want her to think differently of me. I'm more nervous now since she's been silent for a couple minutes.

Soon I have to say something. "Will, you have to say something."

She smiles. "Hey, I'm going be your best friend no matter what. I'm just saying to be careful. If you don't feel the same as Faith you have to tell her that."

"Maybe I do feel the same," I say quietly.

"Then go with it."

We share smiles as we go back to drinking our mochas and I look around at the people walking around outside. It's a nice sunny day again, something that makes Sunnydale look like such a happy place to live. To me the nice weather is just a trap to get people to live on a hellmouth where there are so many things that want to kill them.

Then I see Faith walking across the street and soon she notices Willow and I sitting at our little table outside. I guess it's not unusual to see her walking around. It's about lunchtime and we're only a few blocks away from her apartment.

Her face brightens as she nears us and I hear Willow laugh as I smile and wave a little at Faith. "That's the look Oz always mentions."

I look back at her and narrow my eyes at her. "Behave."

"But it's so cute!"

"Will!"

She looks at me for a moment then sighs. "Fine."

Faith walks over to our table and smiles down at us. "They let you out of the office, Red? I figured your ma would have you chained to one of the desks."

"No, nothing like that," she says as she smiles. "They do let me out for lunch so I thought I'd meet Buffy for coffee."

Willow looks at me, smile still plastered on her face, and I realize I haven't said anything yet. "Uh, pull up a chair. We were just finishing up."

"Cool." Faith grabs a chair from an empty table and sits down, closer to me than to Willow. "I was just walking around wondering where to get lunch before I walked over to B's here. I guess I saved myself a trip."

When our eyes meet as I turn to her and I really do see the look Willow is talking about. It's weird because I can feel my heart do a little flutter when I see it. That's the first time I've felt anything like that since . . . well, since Angel. It feels like I'm starting to figure out what I'm feeling for Faith.

"I guess so," I say. "You wanna get something here? Will only has a few more minutes before she has to go back."

"Sure, be right back."

We watch as she leaves and when I look back at Willow she has this knowing little smile on her face. "You have to tell me you see it now, right? I'll call you a liar if you don't."

I want to tell her to shut it because she and Oz noticed it before I did but I won't. Besides, she's being all supportive with the fact and Faith and I may be dating soon. "Yes, I see it. It feels nice to have someone look at me that again."

Willow smiles brightly and notices Faith coming back with two sandwiches and a large coffee. "Maybe I should let you two have lunch together."

"You don't need to do that." I give her a serious look. "Faith will think you're avoiding her since you always need to leave when she shows up."

Before she can say anything Faith is back and sitting down. "So what were you talking about?"

My best friend raises an eyebrow at me but I speak up quickly. I don't know how Faith will react to me having to sort out my feelings for her with Willow. "Our very boring patrol last night since Giles got it wrong."

"Yeah, completely sucked."

"Yeah," Willow says, a grin on her face, "and about the kissing you've been doing."

Faith nearly chokes on her sandwich and I'm sure I'm blushing brighter than I ever have before. Maybe I should've let her leave.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing. Sorry for the delay between chapters. :)

Chapter Six

* * *

><p>I can't believe I'm nervous about seeing Faith but I am. I'm thinking twice about what I should wear and what I should do. It's all very confusing.<p>

Then again, I think we agreed what we're doing tonight can be considered a date.

"Mom, I'm going over to Faith's," I yell as I run down the stairs.

"Have fun!" is all I hear as I rush out the door. I didn't want to have a conversation with my mom because I'm nervous enough as it is and I haven't told her about Faith yet. That little talk will happen once I figure out all my Faith-type feelings.

Faith had brought up meeting me over here but that seemed a little weird. I mean, it's not like she has a car she could pick me up in or anything and my mom would expect her to stay for dinner if she showed. It's become such a routine now that it would seem weird for us to say no to free food. I don't want any red flags.

I'm so anxious that I'm practically running to Faith's apartment until I realize it's warm out and I might just be a sweaty mess by the time I get there. That would definitely make this date a disaster before it even has a chance to get started.

When I get to her door I look myself over a little. We agreed not to do anything major so I picked out a cute little dress with matching sandals. Then again I'm a little nervous so I brought a bag with a change of clothes, too.

Really, really nervous.

I barely have a chance to knock before the door swings open and Faith is smiling on the other side. "Hey."

"Hey."

We just stare at each for a minute before Faith realizes she needs to let me in and steps aside. When I do I realize that it doesn't look like we're leaving to eat. There's a pizza box on the table in the kitchen and I'm willing to bet there's probably beer in the fridge.

I look at her with a raised eyebrow. "So no restaurant?"

Faith has this shy look on her face that I've never seen before. I don't think I've ever seen her look shy before. Shyness isn't really a Faith emotion. "I kinda thought we could eat here then catch a movie."

It's after she says what the plan is that I notice that she's been checking me out constantly since I walked in. Is that the first time she's done that or just the first time I noticed it? "Oh."

"Did you not want that?"

And now Faith looks even more nervous than I probably do. Not what I want. "No, no. It's fine." I hold up my bag, probably looking just as nervous. "I even brought more clothes in case we changed plans."

Faith laughs and starts to look more relaxed. "You are such a chick sometimes."

"Hey, you have all your clothes here if you need to change. I have to work with limited resources."

She walks up to me and carefully puts her arms around me. I can't help but smile at that because I have to admit I really like the feel of being in her arms. It makes me relax and maybe even a little safe. Such a great feeling to have.

"I'm happy you agreed to this." Faith leans in and lightly kisses me.

I kiss her back before we break away. "Me, too."

Faith moves away from me and gestures for me to sit. "Come on, the pizza just got here a few minutes ago. Don't want it to get cold."

It looks like she wants to pull out the chair for me but isn't sure if she should so in the end I do it myself while she opens the fridge door and takes out a couple of bottle of beer. I'm not much of a drinker so I hope she doesn't expect me to drink a whole lot tonight. Just one look at me would make anyone think I'm a lightweight when it comes to booze.

"Want a beer?" she asks. "I know you probably like the girly drinks but . . ."

"Sure," I interrupt before she starts to babble.

She grins and opens two bottles before sitting down across from me and we start to eat in silence. I can't help but glance at her from time to time and I have a feeling that she's doing the same.

"So is dinner at your apartment your way of getting out of half of a date?" I ask with a smile on my face. She is the one who said she didn't date. "Or do you just not wanna be seen with me?"

Faith chokes a little on her pizza at that remark. "No, no. I just thought that this was a little easier. This way we could talk about what movie you want to drag me to."

"I'm not sure I completely believe that but . . . okay."

"Whatever you wanna believe, B," Faith says. She laughs a little. "Sometimes you're just full of surprises, you know that?"

"What do you mean?"

"A few months ago all you would talk about when you were patrolling with me was slaying and maybe some of your drama with Angel. And that was if I was lucky 'cause if I asked about it you'd bite my head off."

"That's not true."

"A little bit," Faith insists. "I never thought you'd want to get any closer than that but here you are, on a date with me."

"Well," I start, "it really doesn't feel like a date yet."

She sighs. "Fine, next time there will be a restaurant involved. Something romantic and cheesy."

"There's going to be a next time?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "We're about fifteen minutes into this one and you automatically assume there'll be another one?"

"I haven't even begun to show you my skills, B."

I blush at that. She always has had a way with words. "Well, I guess I'll have to see them sometime."

Faith only grins at me as she grabs another slice of pizza and continues to eat. I can't help but think about how she's changed since she first showed up in Sunnydale. Of course, she could also just be showing me a side that's always been there. Faith was a little guarded at first.

We eat in silence for another couple minutes before Faith stops and looks at me. "You're not doing this just to humor me or anything, right? 'Cause I told you I liked you and you only said you were confused."

I shake my head quickly. "No, that's not it." I take a breath and think. "It's kind of that I'm kind of afraid of it. You know . . . this." I gesture to the two of us.

"B, it's not like I'm gonna jump you at the end of the night." She smirks. "I mean, if you want to I'm game but from what I've seen you're not really that kind of girl."

When she gives me a little wink I laugh. She's doing so much to make sure I'm comfortable and in the end it's really not necessary. I know she's not going to push me to do something I'm not ready for. That's one of the reasons I'm perfectly happy going on a date with her.

"You know, I think you need to tell me what we're doing on the rest of this date."

Faith shrugged. "I thought we'd eat then see a movie. I think Giles'll get pissed if we skip patrol entirely so we probably need to go through a cemetery or two. Then I was thinking I'd walk you home 'cause it'll probably be late by then. For a second I was thinking we could go to the Bronze, too, but I don't want our date interrupted, you know?"

I nod because I know what she's getting at. If Willow and Oz are at the Bronze they'll want us to hang out with them and as much as I love my friends, it would pretty much kill the date. I'd much rather get to know Faith a little better. And not in the naked way she's probably thinking about: the fact she's so private makes me want to know everything about her.

"I know I should keep with the kind of first date lightness but I want to ask you stuff," I say carefully. "You said there wasn't much good and you've already told me some. Am I gonna ruin the mood if I actually ask you about yourself?"

Faith looks a little thoughtful before answering. "I guess you're not going the ruin the mood. Depends on what you ask though."

That seems almost like a challenge so I think about it first before I say anything. "Are you an only child?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Faith says but she furrows her brow a little as she says it.

"You guess?"

"That's the only answer I can give, B." Faith sets her pizza down and looks at me. "I'm pretty sure I'm my ma's only kid but who knows? She wasn't exactly a kid person so I could've had an older brother or sister in foster care or something. Since my dad left, he might have other kids that I'd never know about."

"Oh." Her answers are starting to leave me speechless. Her childhood was so different from mine.

I think I'm doing something weird with my face 'cause now she looks a little freaked. "Hey, I don't mean to freak you out or anything but that's kinda how I see it. My folks weren't the greatest people."

There's no way to follow up on that question. Now's one of those times that I wish I had some sort of cheat sheet so I knew which question to ask in which situation. I never know what to say and Faith seems to pick up on that.

"Okay, that ruined whatever moment we should've had here," she says as she chuckles nervously. "I think I need to clarify something."

"What's next?"

She smiles. "Up until this last year my life has pretty much sucked. Slaying saved me in more ways than one. I'm pretty sure I'd be in jail or dead if it wasn't for getting called and my first watcher. It changed my entire life for the better."

"We think differently on that." I sigh. "I always think that my life would have been better if I hadn't been called."

"I guess if you had something to miss out on it would suck. I really didn't."

The way Faith is looking at me is so sweet. Her eyes are so huge and bright. I've always thought she had the most beautiful brown eyes but they're also so expressive. Just looking at her I can tell she wants me to be here and that means so much.

"Okay," I start, "then I'll just ask this: what was your best memory from Boston?"

Faith smiles at the question. "The first day with my watcher. I was still pissed about everything and didn't really know what was going on but there was something about her that made me listen to her. Once she explained everything I knew this was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was part of something bigger. And then we started training and it was the best feeling ever."

I knew there was some good back in Boston. I only needed to wait for her to get more comfortable around me. At least, that's what I think she needed. It doesn't really matter though, only the result does. Both of us are smiling.

"I knew there were good times."

"Some," Faith agrees. "The rest . . ." she shrugs.

My pizza has sat on my plate untouched for awhile now and I push it aside to lean in toward Faith. "I wanna hear about all that, too, but we can start with the light stuff for now."

She nods. "I guess I'm cool with that for now." She pushes her empty plate aside and leans in, too. "What do you miss most from LA?"

Here I thought we were going to keep everything light tonight. Then again, I have a feeling none of my unpleasant memories can beat out whatever Faith has gone through. "I know you probably expect me to say my dad, right?"

"It crossed my mind." Faith grins and her hand starts to itch across the table. I wonder how long it will take her to get up the courage to actually take my hand. At the speed she's going at now we'll be here until midnight.

"It's not," I respond quietly and I feel bad admitting it. "I miss sleep."

That gets Faith to raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"In Sunnydale, nights are not my own. There's patrol and depending on how active the cemeteries are sometimes I'm out most of the night. I don't think I've had a good night's sleep since I got here." I pause. "In LA, I didn't have that responsibility so I could actually sleep whenever I wanted. I miss that."

Faith laughs a little. "I guess I never realized how little we sleep."

"I do, especially on school days."

And we have success! Faith lightly places her hand over mine. "But now you're in college. Now you have dorm rooms and more privacy," she says with a wink.

"I think there's plenty of privacy here."

Faith leans in and lightly kisses me, something I return easily. I'm not sure how she can manage to convey so much feeling in a kiss that almost chaste but I feel so much when her lips are against mine. Almost immediately I know how she feels for me and I wonder if part of that is because we're slayers. Giles is always talking about the fact we should have a connection but I never listened.

Maybe I should listen to him more, especially when he talks about ways I can feel Faith.

We break away from each other and Faith stands, beginning to clear the table. "We should get going if we want to see a movie."

I stand and try to help but mostly she motions that she can do it herself. "Do I get to pick this movie?"

She knows what the correct answer is and I think that's why she's narrowing her eyes at me. "Sure but you're not going to make me suffer, are you?"

Maybe a little torture can be fun. "We'll see."

* * *

><p>There were two choices once we got to the theater: a romantic comedy and a horror flick.<p>

Guess which one I picked?

When we got there I could tell immediately which one Faith wanted to go to. I mean, it doesn't take a genius to realize she's not a fan of the romantic comedies. But she did say I could pick and I kind of wanted to see how much say I had in this date.

The movie was horrendous but in the end that didn't matter to me. Well, it mattered to Faith since she muttered at every ridiculous line the actors phoned in. It was probably a good thing we sat in a corner of the theater so there wasn't many people around us. I'm sure we would have annoyed people otherwise.

Faith was really sweet the entire time, too. She bought the tickets then popcorn and sodas before leading us to a kind of secluded area so we could be by ourselves. By the time the lights went down her arm was around my shoulders and it wasn't long after that that I started to lean into her. It had been a long time since I'd had a good date and that's exactly what this has been.

"Next time you're gonna let me pick the movie, right?" Faith asks as we walk out.

"You've been picking practically every movie we watch at your place," I respond. "This one wasn't that bad."

She narrows her eyes at me. "You can pick the next five if you can remember the name of the movie we just saw without looking back and checking."

I open my mouth to respond but my mind is a complete blank. Sure, it wasn't memorable but I'm the one who picked it and I'm sure both lead actors said the title during it. Faith even commented on it and now I can't remember what it was. I blame that on Faith though. She kept being distracting me with how close she was and how close her lips would get to my ear every time she wanted to comment on the stupidity of the plot.

Since her grin gets wider the longer I'm silent I decide to stop trying. "Fine, you win."

"Knew it!" She laughs. "You just wanted to make me suffer by picking that crap."

"I did not," I say quickly. "I just thought it would be nice to not see someone get decapitated for one night. Don't we see that stuff enough every night."

Faith shrugs. "I guess you're right. I think they're amusing 'cause they're so fake. I mean, we know how it's supposed to look."

I nod but I don't see it that way. I try to get away from slaying as much as I can because there's a part of me who sees it as a burden, not a gift like Faith does. It's one thing where we have very differing opinions but at least now I understand why since Faith actually talked more about herself at dinner.

About two blocks away from the theater Faith takes my hand and I can feel some nerves when she does. It makes we think about what else she has planned but then again it's not like we're going to the Bronze or some other place.

No, we're heading for a cemetery. There's no off day in the life of a slayer.

"I know this isn't how you want a date to end or anything," Faith says quietly. "But you know Giles'll want an explanation if we don't. Besides . . . you can check me out while I take out some bad guys and you always look hot when you stake a vamp."

She's ends with a grin and I feel like a blush is about to come on so I look away from her to try and compose myself. When I look back she's still got the grin and I can see her dimples, too. It's make her look so cute.

"If this is a date then we've been dating for months now."

"Then we should be doing a lot more than just kissing."

When I look over at her she's got this smirk on her face and winks at me, making me laugh. "You don't know what the meaning of 'going slow', do you?"

Faith shrugs as we walk through the entrance of the cemetery. "You know I've never done this before. This might the first real date I've had, you know that."

I guess I do have to give her a little slack. There's a part of me that knows Faith would be more than happy to skip all the dating stuff and go straight to the sex. We've had that conversation before and at one point last year I know she commented that she didn't know what the purpose of relationships was. That's how I know she really must have feelings for me: she's trying to go slow.

"I know," I say quietly. "I think it's safe to say neither of us really knows what to do."

"So if we fuck up we'll be doing it together."

I laugh. "I think that sums it up."

We laugh at that and Faith stops us. She moves her hands up and down my arms lightly and when I look into her eyes I can see how happy she is. When she first showed up in Sunnydale she never looked like she was happy, like she wanted to be here and I can understand that. I've always treated this as my town and my mom's always said I've never been very good at sharing.

It's taken time but we eventually got to a good place and that was definitely needed to defeat the Mayor. I guess that good place also caused both of us to have feelings for each other. But Faith's better at figuring out what they mean I guess. She's the one looking like she wants to kiss me while I can't quite admit to what I'm feeling.

Faith leans in and gently presses her lips against mine. It's so careful, like she still thinks there's a chance I might push her away. That is the absolute last thing I'm thinking though. I'm mostly concentrating on how much I enjoy the feel of her lips. I can't even begin to describe it other than Faith is the only person who's ever kissed me like this. There's a certain amount of intimacy that I haven't felt during a kiss before.

When I start to respond to her she moves closer and I feel an arm lightly wrap around me. Nothing is hard or overpowering and when she moves in to the point we're pressed against each other there's still a softness about it. It's tentative and showing a sweet side of Faith I know she probably hasn't shown many others.

We break away from each other before either of us can deepen the kiss and I realize that I kind of wanted her to. I lean in and lightly kiss her again and I feel her tighten her arms around me.

"Who said a cemetery couldn't be a good make out spot?" she laughs.

"I do," I say as I move as far away as her arms will allow me. "I guess I got a little caught up in the moment."

"I'm more than okay with you doing that." Faith lets out a breath and lets me go. "But we should probably do some slaying before we end the night."

* * *

><p>Since we went to the movie that I still can't remember the name of by the time we went through three cemeteries it was much later than it normally would have been so we decided to call it quits. That meant we couldn't do anything else either since it was too late so we ended up slowly walking toward my house.<p>

This is where it feels a little awkward. In the last couple weeks when it's been late we've hung out at her place and a couple times I ended up sleeping on her couch. Now it would feel different to do that, especially since Faith's couch isn't exactly far away from her bed. Since we're trying out dating I don't know how me staying there would work.

It feels like Faith is a nervous about something like that, too, because she never even offered to have us hang out at her apartment after the last cemetery. Instead, she only took my hand again and started walking us in the direction of my house.

I have to admit there's something cute and adorable about Faith wanting to hold my hand.

"So . . ." Faith starts as we notice my house is only a couple blocks away.

"So . . ."

"You had a good time tonight, right?"

I smile at how Faith looks right now. It's a combination of nerves and something else. I think I can see how much she wants me. "Yeah, I really did."

"And that means we can do this again, right?" Faith smiles, one that shows her cute dimples.

I almost laugh to myself a little at the fact that I've been thinking about how attractive Faith is all night. I even want to kiss her right now and if I was being honest with myself, I've wanted to before tonight, too. "Yeah, I'd really like that."

We reach the front door and before I ask even ask if I'll see her in the morning she leans in and kisses me. There's a little more passion in this one than the others tonight but I think that's because she's getting more confident that my feelings are a lot like hers. I guess I'm finally starting to realize that.

Our arms are around each other within a couple seconds and when I give her an opening, she deepens the kiss, causing me to moan into her mouth quietly. Her tongue moves against mine and I never thought a kiss would make me go weak at the knees but this one does. It makes my mind think about what will happen when we do more than just kiss and that thought makes me need to hold onto Faith tighter.

When we break away from each other I'm out of breath but Faith sums everything up nicely. "Wow."

"Yeah."

She gives me another light kiss before backing a step away from me. "I guess I should go." She smiles. "See you tomorrow, B."

I smile at her and realize there's a part of me that wants her to stay. Just a small part though and that part is drown out my overwhelming fear of what would happen if I asked her. "Good night, Faith."

Faith's still smiling as she walks away and I know I'll probably fall asleep with a grin on my face.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

* * *

><p>Today is a good day. Actually, better than good. I've had a smile on my face since the moment I've woke up.<p>

Last night with Faith was just incredible. I never thought she'd be that sweet and that she looked like she was just as nervous as I was. That was definitely a surprise.

After she left last night I started to really think about my feelings for her and I'm quickly discovering that I've always had feelings for her. They've just been buried in the back of my mind and that was easy to do with all the drama I've had to deal with since I met Faith. With Angel back in my life and then having to break up with him along with the Mayor being a general pain in the ass there wasn't any time to think about what I really thought of her.

Now that all of those problems are gone all my brain can think about is Faith. Okay, well, Faith and panicking over college but mostly Faith.

I've been a little lazy this morning so I haven't even gotten up yet. I just woke up so relaxed that I didn't want to ruin it and I don't think I need to meet up with Faith until later. All I want to do is think about last night and what I want to say to Faith when I see her. My mind is just full of all things Faith but what I hear is my mom yelling that she's leaving for the day and then the door shutting.

"I wondered when I was gonna get to see this."

My head turns toward my open door so fast I think I get whiplash. Faith is standing in the doorway with the biggest grin on her face. "What . . ."

"Am I doing here?" she finishes for me. "I have a habit of getting up early now. Was kind of hoping you'd come over early but then I remembered what you said last night about sleep."

I sit up before I realize my kind-of girlfriend is seeing me in my pajamas. At least I'm not wearing anything too embarrassing. "So my mom let you in to surprise me?"

Faith nods. "I asked if you were sleeping and she agreed with me that you should be awake by now. I said I would come up here and wake you."

"I think that's just an excuse."

"True," Faith admits as she sits on the edge of the bed. "I kinda wanted to see you first thing."

I can't seem to stop smiling and part of the reason for that is Faith hasn't stopped smiling since she walked into my room. It feels like she's waiting for me to make the first move but maybe that's because we're in my room. Maybe she wants me to feel comfortable first.

The main thing that I notice is that I can't stop looking at her lips and haven't looked at much else since she got here. It makes me lean in and give her a light kiss. I can feel her smile against my lips as she returns it so I know she's definitely okay with the kiss.

We keep it light and we're both smiling when we break away. "I was hoping you'd do that," Faith says.

"Definitely a good way to start the way," I respond, giving her another light kiss.

She scoots a little closer to me so we're next to each other and takes one of my hands in hers. "I'm happy you're comfortable with me being in here."

I don't really know what to say to that so I kiss her again and carefully wrap my arms around her. Faith is such a great kisser that I feel that as long as we're dating I'll never get enough of her lips. It makes me think about what comes after all this kissing and I can feel the blush that comes with all the thoughts.

Faith seems to feel my blush because she breaks away from me as soon as I do. "I bet you want to shower and get dressed and all that."

"I don't know . . . I like having you here," I admit.

"Good," Faith says as she kisses me again, "otherwise I'd worry."

We stare at each other like idiots for a minute before she gets up and tries to pull me up with her. I let her and once I'm standing she looks me up and down. Part of me really wants to know when she starts looking at me like this because I know it was before she first kissed me. Mostly, I want to know how long I've been blind.

"You have no idea how cute you look right now," she says as she smirks at me.

"I don't know if you're teasing me or being serious," I comment as I look away. It feels like she's looking right through me.

"Maybe a little of both." She puts her hand on my chin gently and makes me look at her. "Saying stuff like this is new to me, you know? If I'm doing something wrong . . ."

"You're not," I cut in quickly. "Keep saying what you're saying."

When I smile so does she and the dimples I think are adorable are on full display. "I'll wait for you downstairs, okay? Then we can get breakfast."

Faith leaves before I can say anything else and I'm left staring there with my mouth slightly open. I can't believe how she can leave me speechless like that. That talent will get me into trouble later, I just know it.

* * *

><p>"I think it'll be fun!"<p>

I look over at Willow and I know she really wants me to say yes. We're sitting at the Bronze watching Oz play. It's the perfect bonding time for us: he's with the band and Faith's working until who knows when. Hanging out together just seems like the obvious thing.

Now that she found out Faith and I have been on a date though, she's trying to get me to agree to a double date. "I don't know, Will."

"We don't have to make it a big deal."

What confuses me is that the four of us have been hanging out constantly without the added complication of Faith and I dating. Since Xander and Cordelia have left Sunnydale it's just the four of us. In the end, we would probably end up at the Bronze which is what we do all the time anyway. "Wouldn't it just be like we hang out now?"

"No," she insists, "it's different 'cause we're couples."

I sigh. "Okay, here's the thing: Faith and I have been out once. That's it. I kind of want to have a couple with just her before we start doing anything more."

Willow looks a little dejected by that but she's also noticed that I didn't say no so she still has a smile on her face. "I guess that makes sense . . . so how was it?"

There's a smile on my face almost instantly. "It was nice. We talked and went to a movie. She walked me home."

"Did you get those butterflies in your stomach?"

I nod. "When Faith looks at me with those eyes . . . I can't describe it. It's like I know how much she likes me with just a simple look. And then when she kisses me it's amazing."

Willow nods. "I can definitely see the appeal."

The only way I can respond to that is to laugh. I don't think I've meant a person who hasn't seen the appeal of Faith. "But I need more time with her before I can really know what I feel. It's all so confusing."

"At least Faith's being patient."

"She is," I say with a smile on my face.

Truthfully, I don't deserve the kind of patience Faith is showing. It shouldn't take long for me to know whether or not I like Faith in a romantic way. Deep down I already know the answer to that but it's so scary that I can't wrap my brain around it yet. All I can admit to myself is that when Faith and I are in the same room I want to be next to her, holding her hand or getting her to put her arm around me. I want her close.

I blink a couple times when I notice Willow is repeatedly saying my name. "What did you say?"

"Your happy place includes Faith now, doesn't it?" she says, laughing quietly. "You just had the same face I'm sure I make when I'm thinking about Oz."

"Yeah, it does." I take a sip of my drink. "I think my only problem is when I should tell my mom and Giles."

"Don't do it until it feels right." Willow's giving me the most serious look she's given me all night so I know she means what she's saying. "It'll be a big step to let either of them know the two of you are . . . involved. I mean, will you wait until you're that . . . involved?"

I'm blushing before she even finishes her sentence. There isn't much else I've thought about more than any sort of nakedness with Faith. I've even had a couple dreams about it and those left me so hot and wet. I couldn't even get back to sleep because it was all I could think about after I woke up. All those dreams did was make me wonder about the real thing.

"I don't know," I say as I look down at the table. "We're taking it slow but I don't know what Faith thinks slow is. She's more experienced than I am."

Will nods. "Yeah, but that shouldn't matter. It doesn't seem to as far as Faith's concerned. The way she looks at you kinda shows that she'll do anything for you."

"But I don't want that," I say. "I don't want to lead her on or anything."

"I don't think you will."

I'm happy one of us is confident about that because I'm really not. I'm afraid that I'll really fall for Faith but I'll keep her waiting for too long and she won't want me anymore. She could have anyone she wants and probably right away, too.

"Okay, no more of this topic," Will says, probably because she sees my face fall a little. "The Dingoes will start again soon and I want you to be happy again before they do."

"I'm happy," I insist. "I'm just a little worried."

"Don't be. Faith really likes you. Just keep thinking that."

If only it was that simple.

* * *

><p>"I like that you and Faith are finally starting to be friends," my mom says as we eat dinner. Faith took an early shift at the bar so it's the first time she hasn't been here in a couple days.<p>

"It's nice," I say, trying to think of the right words to use. "I think I underestimated how much we had in common."

She nods and it looks like she wants to add something but doesn't. I keep thinking that she wants to ask if there's something more going on but maybe that's only my paranoia at work. It's not like Faith or I act all couply around her and she's never caught us. But then again, she always tells me she knows more than I tell her.

"Big plans tonight?"

I look at her and see she's smiling at me. There's a part of me that could try to read into how she's looking at me but that would only make me nervous and then once I see Faith that might be all I talk about. That'd be a mood killer.

"Not really," I say. "I think Faith is going to meet up with me during patrol. I'm not sure when she'll be able to leave work."

"I wish she'd work somewhere else."

I can't help but smile at the look on her face. There's a subtle hint of disappointment and worry and it's the same look Giles has whenever Faith talks about the bar. "You're not the only one, Mom. Giles wants her to find something different, too."

"Maybe you can convince her to do something else," she says. "Or do nothing. The Council is paying both of you."

I shrug. "Her decision, I guess."

We eat in silence for a couple of minutes and I think about the next date with Faith. I want to do something she likes but even though I'm slowly learning more about her I still don't know what she would want to do on a date.

Okay, that's not entirely true but I don't think we're at the point where I can be forward about all the sex stuff. You know, since we haven't had sex yet though I know that I decide when that happens. Faith's said as much.

"Buffy, is there something you want to talk to me about?"

I look at her quickly and try to read her face but it doesn't look like she's trying to get me to talk about something she already knows. She just looks curious. "What do you mean?"

"You look worried. Nervous about college in a couple months?"

I nod because she is right about that. It just isn't what I've been thinking about lately. "Yeah, but it'll be okay."

She gives me a look but instead of questioning my answer she only smiles. "Well, if you need to talk about anything I'm here."

"I know."

We start to pick up dishes but the phone rings and I excuse myself to answer it, hoping it's Willow so maybe I have something to do before patrol. Maybe she can even go with me because I've realized now more than ever that patrolling without Faith is really boring. When I answer it though all I hear is Faith over a lot of background noise.

"Hey, B."

"Faith, are you still at the bar?"

"Yeah, but I'm getting outta here early so I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at my apartment instead?"

I smile, realizing how much I look forward to seeing her or even hearing her. "Sure, we were just finishing up with dinner."

"Cool," she says and I can almost hear her smile through the phone, "I'll see you in a few."

She hangs up and suddenly I'm looking forward to tonight. I don't have to patrol by myself and I get to spend some time with Faith that doesn't include staking vamps.

"Was that Faith?" my mom asks as I walk into the kitchen.

I nod. "She left work early so I'm meeting her at her apartment instead of on patrol."

"Okay," she says with a smile then sighs. "I should have made extra for you to bring over."

"That's okay, mom," I laugh. "She'll live. I'll see you in the morning."

"Be careful." She has this sad smile on her face before I turn to leave, something I'm used to. She's worried but we both know that so there's no use in saying it. At least it's gotten better now that I have Faith with me.

The walk to Faith's is a quick one but mostly because I'm walking as fast as I can. It's amazing how my feelings for Faith are starting to show not just to her but to myself, too. I want to see her all the time now that she's told me she likes me and that we've been on a date. It's almost like I've given myself permission to let my feelings show.

I'm also starting to get the courage to initiate stuff with Faith. When I see her tonight I want to be the one who kisses her and not the other way around. I don't want to wait for her to make the move even though I know she thinks she's the one that has to right now. That shouldn't be her responsibility.

When I reach her place she's actually sitting outside the door to the building on the front step. She smiles when she sees me and I know I'm doing the same. Faith's still got on the tight t-shirt she always wears to the bar on, something she says helps get her tips, so I don't think she's even gone inside yet.

Before she can even say anything to me, I kiss her gently as soon as I reach her. Her arms are around me almost instantly and I can feel her smile against my lips. Even with taking the initiative I keep the kiss light because we are outside. I don't exactly want her neighbors spying on us.

"That's . . . a great way to say hello," Faith says when we break away from each other.

There's not much I can say to that so I change the subject. "Why are you out here?"

"Just wanted to wait for you." She pauses. "Why? What would you have done if we were inside?" I immediately blush and she laughs. "Just kidding, B."

She puts an arm around my shoulders and guides me inside but when we get to her front door she stops and reaches into her pocket. When she pulls her hand out there's a key in her hand connected to a very simple silver key chain.

"What . . ." I start but she stops me.

"When I first got the apartment and you were helping me pick out everything . . ."

"And you didn't listen to a single word," I interrupt with a smile.

"I thought that you should have a part of this," she continues without missing a beat, "even before we started dating." She takes a breath. "I know that this seems early but I thought you should have a place to call your own, too. So . . . if you need to get away and I'm not around you can come here."

I don't know what to say. Faith's actually left me speechless. First because she noticed that I was a little jealous that she was truly getting out on her own. I mean, even though I'm leaving home I'm only heading to the dorms of UC Sunnydale. I won't even have my own room but Faith has her own place, all to herself.

Also, she's letting share her place and so soon after we've decided to take the huge step to start dating. Faith's not even putting any extra pressure in the offer either and that's just amazing to me. I really don't know what to say.

After a minute of my mouth hanging open, Faith speaks up. "You gotta say something 'cause you're starting to scare me a little. Too soon?"

I smile and take the key chain. "You're going to ruin the badass reputation you love so much when you do sweet things like this."

If I didn't know any better I'd say there was a blush beneath that smile and cute dimples. "Just open the door, B."

I do and see a red rose on the table and feel Faith's arms wrap around me from behind. It's almost instinctual that I lean back into her. "You really know how to impress a girl."

"Good," she says and I feel her place a light kiss on my shoulder, "'cause this is all new for me."

"Doing a pretty good job so far."

Faith turns me in her arms and presses her lips against mine. She keeps it light but my thoughts of wanting to take the first step are still there and I attempt to deepen the kiss the first chance I get. The response I get is Faith moaning into my mouth and her hold on me gets a little tighter, which is of the good since once again I'm weak at the knees.

When we break away to catch our breath, Faith places another couple feather light kisses on my lips then rests her forehead against mine. "Damn, B. I know you wanna take it one step at a time but . . . damn."

"I don't want you to always be taking those steps," I say quietly. "But I still want to go slow."

"I know," she says quietly as she brushes her nose gently against mine. "I'll do whatever you want, B. Even if that means trying to reign myself in every once and awhile if you think you need to stop."

She's being way too sweet and it's making me even more nervous. My mind starts going through that talk with Willow and my fears that Faith will get sick of waiting for me are right in the front of my mind again.

I don't say anything and Faith must pick up on the fact I'm nervous. "Hey, we need to get that look off your face 'cause it's way too serious. You wanna watch a movie or go out somewhere before patrol?"

Faith runs her fingers lightly up my side, just enough to tickle me and I laugh quietly. "Maybe an early patrol, then grab food to go and come back here."

"I like that plan." Faith leans down and lightly kisses my neck a couple times before putting her lips to my ear. "Don't worry, okay? You're worth the wait for me."

She really can't call herself a badass now and if she keeps talking like that, I'm not sure how long the wait will be.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **thanks to everyone reading/reviewing. Much appreciated. :)

Chapter Eight

* * *

><p>You know what really sucks about not having your mother know that you're dating someone? When she wants to go on a spontaneous mother-daughter trip I can't say that I'm going to miss my girlfriend if we go.<p>

My mom needed to go to San Diego to inspect a potential shipment for the gallery and thought we should make a long weekend of it. She said it was perfect because it wasn't like I was completely leaving Sunnydale open to vamps. Faith was still going to be here and when she talked to Giles about it he agreed.

San Diego was fun. I have to admit that. We shopped and did some sightseeing. There was only a couple afternoons where I had to go along while my mom inspected shipments and called back to the gallery to see if the people interested still wanted to buy. It was a little interesting and I got to see what my mom's been doing since we moved to Sunnydale but I also know that art is definitely not my thing. Most of the time I was beyond bored.

I only talked to Faith once while I was away and that was the day before we left to go back home. She wasn't very talkative though and if I didn't know any better I'd think she was a little mad at me. It wasn't like I intentionally ditched her for a few days or anything.

The only thing I got out of her was her work schedule so I knew that she was already at the bar when we got back to Sunnydale. That made me a little sad because all I really wanted to do was see her.

One thing I realized while I was away was that I'm falling hard for Faith. I think I might even be falling in love with her. It was a little scary when I first thought it but now it just makes me happy even if I'm not ready to voice it yet.

"Mom," I yell as I run down the stairs, "I'm going over to Faith's!"

My mom's in the living room with a small painting she kept for the house. I'm not a fan but she likes it. "Okay, honey. Have fun!"

I toss a backpack over my shoulder and start the walk to her apartment. I want to surprise her when she gets off work but I don't know what to do yet so I packed a change of clothes just in case. With Faith's mood being all weird on the phone yesterday I'm not sure what to expect so I need to be prepared.

Having a key to the apartment is awesome because then I really can surprise her. I set my bag down on the couch and take out the present I got her. Near one of the places we had to go for the gallery was a weapons shop. After some convincing my mom let me check it out while she did her thing and once I went in I saw this knife that I knew she would love. It's the perfect size for hiding in her boot, something she mentioned she wanted a couple months ago.

Surprising her with food would be cool, too, but I know how to cook about as much as Faith so instead I hang for a couple hours and then call for pizza to be delivered. It really feels like a genius plan and a good way to make up for being gone.

It would be a genius plan if the pizza hadn't shown up an hour ago and Faith is still nowhere to be seen. I'm a little hungry but I want to wait for Faith.

Finally, I hear someone at the door and Faith walks in . . . looking a little drunk. "B?"

My mouth is kind of open for a second. She didn't show because she was drinking? "I got back a few hours ago. I thought I would surprise you." I shrug and attempt to smile. "Surprise."

If it were possible to sober up in a matter of three seconds I think that's what Faith just did. The guilt on her face is pretty easy to see as she sits down across from me, too. "Shit . . . I didn't think I'd see you until tomorrow."

"So you had a drink or two after work?"

She nods. "I'm sorry, B. If I'd have known . . ." she stops to look at the pizza. "Guess it wouldn't have been a surprise then."

I know that I could make her feel worse but I don't want to. I want us to eat while I tell her about my trip then I want to give her what I got her. "No worries, Faith. Let me heat up the pizza and then I can tell you all about San Diego."

I stand to heat up a couple slices but Faith's hand on my arm stops me once I stand. When I turn to face her she leans in and kisses me without saying anything. It catches me a little off guard but I recover quickly as I smile and kiss her back.

"I was a little angry you left," Faith whispers when we break away. "I've kinda been staying late at the bar the last couple nights 'cause I wanted you here and you weren't."

"I didn't have much choice," I say quietly. "My mom thought it would be great if we made her trip for the gallery a mother-daughter road trip. It wasn't like I could say no. I mean, I haven't even told her . . ."

"About us?"

"Yeah," I say as I nod. "I missed you."

Faith smiles before closing the very short distance between us and we kiss again. She's the one who deepens it this time and pulls me as close as she can in the process. It feels so incredible that I moan into her mouth while her tongue explores every part of mine.

When we break away from each other, I can't help but grin. "Should I heat up the pizza?"

"I'm kinda heated up," Faith says and laughs quietly. "Yeah, we should eat something."

She lets me go so I can get to the microwave and when I turn away from it, waiting for the timer to go off, I notice she's noticed the box on the table. I put a little bow on it so Faith has to know it's something from San Diego.

I smile at her. "Took a while for you to notice it."

"You didn't have to bring me back anything, B."

"I was wandering while my mom was doing her art thing and thought you might like it." I take the pizza out of the microwave and set it back down on the table. "You can open it now if you want."

That makes Faith break out her dimpled grin and for the first time I can remember she ignores her food for a minute. She looks like such a kid as she carefully takes off the bow and sets it aside before opening the box the knife came in. Her mouth kind of drops open when she sees it and she runs a finger over it gently.

"Buffy . . . this is . . . really cool." She looks up at me and I think her eyes are tearing up just the slightest amount. "You actually remembered when I mentioned it? That was weeks ago."

"When you talk I listen," I say. "That's what a girlfriend does. Hell, I've always listened to what you've said."

"Yeah, but this is even how I imagined it," Faith says as she picks it up and holds it. "You're kinda the coolest girlfriend right now, you know that, right?"

I grin widely. What can I say? She just said I was cool and called me her girlfriend. "I think if you thought I was such a great girlfriend you would've called the hotel or, I don't know, would've come here after your shift so the pizza wouldn't be cold." Faith started to respond but I think I need to get one more point in. "And before you dispute anything, I called you every day and I left the number for the hotel."

Faith narrows her eyes at me. "I wanted to call ya, B. I really did but I didn't know how it would look with your mom there. I didn't think you were talking to Willow every day."

She has me there but she is forgetting something. "But my mom would've just thought it was a slaying thing. Or that's what I would have told her anyway."

"Fine," she relents, "next time I'll call, especially if you bring me back something like this."

Looking at her right now, all happy and ready to stuff her face with pizza, my heart does this little flip. I wonder if this is love but that scared me more than anything so I try to ignore it. Even though Faith makes me happier than I can ever remember being, it's still so soon and I think if I think about it I might blurt it out. Maybe I'll scare her off if I mention anything like that right now.

"You okay, B?" Faith asks and I realize I've zoned out. "I am sorry about not talking to you." She leans over and puts her hand on mine. "I'm still learning all the girlfriend stuff, I guess."

I smile. "It's okay, Faith. Just spaced out a little."

Faith only grins and winks at me before starting to eat. It's then that I remember that I was hungry, too, before Faith showed up and we started talking so I take a bite of my slice. Soon Faith's asking questions about San Diego and I'm forgetting all about everything except that I'm with her.

* * *

><p>I open my eyes and it takes a second for me to realize I'm not in my bed at home. Nothing looks familiar and it isn't until I sit up slightly that I realize I'm in Faith's bed. And I'm alone.<p>

My eyes adjust to the darkness and I try to look around as best I can. Even though I've stayed over at her apartment before I've never slept in her bed. Faith usually just makes sure I'm comfortable on the couch. I guess that's not what happened tonight.

The last thing I remember is after we ate the pizza and Faith showed off just how she would stash her new knife when we went on patrol we crashed on the couch and watched movies. My head was on Faith's shoulder and I must have fallen asleep.

"Faith?"

There's nothing at first and it makes me think that Faith went on patrol without me after I fell asleep. That's only for a minute though because after I say her name again I hear a groan coming for the couch. My first instinct when I hear that is to smile. Faith let me have the bed and since she wasn't sure how I would react decided to crash on the couch.

She really isn't the badass she thinks she is.

I'd be lying if I said that being in the same bed as Faith didn't make me nervous but at the same time, I trust her. I know that if I wasn't ready she wouldn't try to force the issue. She's already said as much when it's been brought up in the past.

"Faith!"

Her head appears as she sits up and looks around before turning to me. "What's wrong?"

"You don't have to sleep on the couch."

She just looks at me for a minute, like she's too asleep to form a complete thought right away. "I didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

I let out a sigh and shake my head. "Just get over here."

There's a pause, like she isn't sure that I'm serious, before she gets up and stumbles toward the bed. It's almost like a drunk walk but Faith is half asleep. She's only wearing a tank top and panties and while she's making her way I take the opportunity to kick off my own jeans. If I'm going to spend the night with Faith and she's going to be all respectful I at least want to be comfortable.

Faith collapses on the other side of the bed then moves close to me, placing an arm over my stomach as she rests slightly on hers. I snuggle in a little closer to her and feel her relax against me. That makes me relax, too. It feels so natural to be in this position with her.

"This okay with you?" Faith asks as she places her lips to my ear, kissing it lightly.

"Hmm-Mm," is all I can get out, temporarily distracted by her light kisses. She's pulling me a little closer in the process making me think that my girlfriend secretly likes to snuggle.

"Good, 'cause I really like you in my bed." She gives me another light kiss, this time on the side of my head. "This has to be the first time of many, many times."

I laugh quietly and yawn as I lean into her. "I won't say no to that."

Faith doesn't say anything to that, only gives me another light kiss before holding me close and falling asleep. I can't help but do the same.

* * *

><p>When I wake up again it's morning and light is streaming into the apartment from the window behind the bed and the other one across the apartment. I feel so relaxed and all I can think about is that I love the feel of Faith's arms around me as I slept.<p>

Of course, the fact she's not in bed with me right now does not make me very happy.

"Faith?"

Instead of seeing her appear from the couch, this time she pokes her head around the corner of the kitchen. It's then that I realize there's a distinct smell of bacon and eggs. And something burning.

"Just a second, B," she says and that's when I see she's got a spatula in her hand. "At a critical point here."

I can only smile and laugh, deciding to lie back down instead of helping her. I think I might just get in the way and we might start the apartment on fire if I distract her. That's not exactly something that'll be easy to explain to her landlord.

After a few minutes and a string of cursing from Faith, she finally appears and gets on the bed. She still has on what I saw her in when she climbed into bed with me last night but I notice she's not carrying any food with her. Instead she pulls me to her and gives me a sweet, light kiss while running a hand up my side, tickling me.

"Faith, stop it," I manage to giggle out as I roll around on the bed with her. "You know I'm really ticklish there."

"And that's why I think this is so fun." She gives me light kisses as I try to at least get on top so she'll top but soon we're both laughing as we make a mess of the sheets that were once wrapped around me.

Soon Faith stops tickling me but we still roll around as we laugh in between kisses. It takes a couple minutes but I finally manage to flip her and stay on top for more than a second. I look down at her and grin but when my eyes meet hers I realize something very important: we're both still only in panties from the waist down and we're kind of . . . well, close together.

Faith's eyes are so wide and I can feel just how turned on she is right now. Hell, I'm turned on right now. Our eyes stay locked for a few very long seconds before Faith sits up and kisses me with more passion than she ever has before. Her arms wrap around me tightly as she does and I respond as much as I can. It's a little hard to do though since Faith has such a strong hold on me.

We break away when we're out of breath and Faith buries her face in my neck, her hot breath hitting my skin. "You have no idea how much I want you right now."

"I think I do," I say as I lean into her. "I can feel it."

She moves away but only enough to rest her forehead against mine. "Then maybe we should eat breakfast before we do something you might regret later."

I really don't like how she worded that, like it's all on me. Part of me wants to argue the point with her but the other part knows she's right. I know that if I gave the okay we'd be naked in this bed and she'd be showing me just how much she wants me.

"Maybe going slow is overrated."

Faith kisses my lips softly. "You and I both know you don't mean that. That's why my hands are trying to be respectful."

"It's a little scary," I admit quietly. It's almost embarrassing that I'm scared of being with Faith intimately but I am. I have no experience and there's a voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me I'll never be able to please Faith the way she expects. I can hear it right now.

"Don't be scared." Faith leans in and kisses my neck a couple times. "I've wanted you for so long, B. Nothing you can do will ever be wrong in my eyes." She pauses. "That's probably not a good thing all the time."

I laugh quietly. "I'm okay with it."

When she looks at me again it feels like she wants to say something but instead she only smiles and lifts me up and off her. She gets off the bed and walks to the kitchen, grabbing to plates off the table and climbing back on the bed with me. I was right. There's scrambled eggs and bacon, parts of it looking a little burnt but most of it looks great.

"You said you've never cooked at all."

Faith grins as she bites off a piece of bacon. "Not in the last few years anyway and I wouldn't call this cooking. But it's what you learn how to when you're little and trying to use the stove. The eggs anyway. The bacon I always messed up."

I smile. "It looks pretty good today." I take a bite and grin. "So you were a little chef, huh?"

She narrows her eyes at me. "Only when I had to and that was before I was older and had better means of getting fed."

This feels like one of those memories Faith mentioned that wasn't the greatest. The look on her face is enough for me to realize that. I really want to ask a serious question about it but I'm afraid of her reaction. This morning has been so easy and carefree and I want to keep it that way.

"Sorry, but now all I can imagine is little Faith, standing on a stool in front of the stove with a little chef's hat on, looking all adorable." Faith gives me a look and I laugh. "Oh, don't be a baby. Just accept that you're adorable."

"If I wasn't worried about getting bacon all over my bed I'd make you pay for that comment."

We eat in silence for a couple minutes until our plates are mostly empty and I remember one very important thing. "My mom doesn't know where I am!"

I jump off the bed and start looking for my jeans when Faith pulls at my arm so I stop. "B, don't worry. I called her. Said you fell asleep so you'd be staying here for the night. It's not a big deal."

"I guess not."

Faith grins this sexy little grin that makes me want to spend the entire day with her, preferably with some cuddling. "Well, you're gonna have to come up with more excuses since you'll be spending more nights over here."

"I guess I will," I say as I put my arms around her. "But . . . Faith . . ."

"What?"

"I want to be honest with everyone but . . ."

She looks a little hesitant now, like she thinks she might not like what I have to say. "But what?"

"But if we tell my mom about us right now she probably won't want be to spend my nights here. She'll probably get overprotective about it." She opens her mouth to say something but I continue because I think I know what she's going to say. "I know I'm an adult and everything but I do still live there."

"Okay," Faith says as she nods. "I get you're nervous and I definitely don't want Mrs. S to stop you from spending time here. It'll be up to you when you tell her . . . as long as you do."

"That will definitely happen." I lean in and kiss her, feeling that little flutter again when I do. Once again, Faith's put me in control of our relationship.

I hope I don't disappoint.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: thanks for all those reading/reviewing. I appreciate it. :)**

Chapter Nine

* * *

><p>Today is supposed to be a surprise and I don't like it much. Surprises have never been my friend.<p>

Faith knows all about my dislike and apprehension when it comes to surprises but she still won't tell me where we're going today. All she said is that she was going to change my mind about surprises and that I needed to be ready early in the morning. When I asked what I needed to wear all she would tell me was that we would be outside.

Now I'm anxiously waiting for her to show up as my mom quizzes me about it. I think she knows something is going on between us but she hasn't asked and I'm too nervous to admit anything at the moment.

"Is it just you and Faith going out today?" she asks as she eats a piece of toast.

I guess this is where not knowing anything helps me. I don't have to try and vague up the details if I don't know them. "I'm not sure but I think Willow has to work today."

She nods and doesn't say anything else on it. I know she likes that Faith and I are becoming close, especially since Xander's not in Sunnydale this summer and Willow is working. It means I'm not spending my summer alone and I know she likes that. Of course, I wonder if her mind would change if she knew that Faith and I are dating.

"Okay," she says as she picks up her purse and keys. "Have fun today. Do you think you'll be here for dinner?"

I shrug. "I'm not sure."

My mom smiles. "I'll be prepared just in case."

She gives me a hug and leaves so now I'm alone waiting for Faith. This surprise is making me nervous but at least I don't have to wait long because not more than ten minutes after my mom leaves there's a knock on the front door.

I open it and Faith is on the other side, a huge smile on her face. "Ready to go?"

"And where are we going?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow.

"You really can't take it, can you?" She laughs as I just look at her. "Well, Giles let me borrow his car . . ."

"You have a car?" I ask quickly as I look outside. Sure enough, Giles' old car is parked in the driveway. "Where are we going that we need to drive?"

The look on her face says I need to be quiet and let her talk so I stop to let her continue. "What we're doing is I have that eye-sour of a car packed full of food, drinks, towels and everything else we need to spend a day at the beach."

I instantly start grinning and wrap my arms around her neck. "You are the best girlfriend!"

"I know," Faith says as she puts her arms around my waist. "Now I'm gonna give you five minutes to get a bikini under some equally attractive clothes. I have everything else in the car."

Faith leans in and kisses me then and I return it easily. I'm a little relieved that Faith's trip is to the beach and not something that'll make me even more nervous. It'll be nerve racking enough because I'll be spending the day with Faith . . . in a bikini.

Knowing Faith it'll be in one that won't leave much to the imagination.

"Hey," Faith says to get my attention as she walks us a couple steps inside and shuts the front door with her foot, "stop daydreaming and get changing. We have a little drive ahead of us."

I can't wait.

* * *

><p>The drive has been nice and relaxing but after awhile I couldn't figure out where we're going. Faith said we're going to the beach but I know exactly where the turnoff is for the public beach and we didn't take it. That can only mean we're going somewhere else.<p>

"Faith, are you trying to tease me?"

She turns to look at me as she drives. "What are you talking about?"

"You said we were going to the beach but this isn't the way," I say. "Is part of your surprise making me think we're going someplace I love and then not go there?"

"We're going there," Faith says. "I just know a spot that's a hell of a lot better." She looks at me and grins. "Call me possessive but I want you all to myself today and having a beach full of guys ogle you isn't what I call a good time."

"You think they're gonna be looking at me? I'm willing to bet you'll be showing more than a little skin once we get there." I pause. "If that's where we're actually going."

We turn off the main road onto dirt one and Giles' old car gets loud. This piece of crap car better not die on us, especially since no one knows where we are. Faith doesn't seem to notice or care because she's half paying attention to the road and half reading a sheet of paper that looks like it has directions on it.

I really want to pester her some more on where we're going but I don't want to annoy her and it feels like she's thought about this. Faith's never been one to plan and it feels nice that she's taken the time to plan something for the two of us. We're still learning all the ins and outs of being a couple so I know I need to give her some slack.

I am her first girlfriend. Her first relationship.

The car stops when we get to a fence and gate that's blocking the road. It has a big "no trespassing" sign on the gate and it feels like this is the end of the line for us but Faith doesn't seem to think so. She jumps out of the car, leaving it running, and opens the gate so we can get through.

"Almost there," she says when she gets back in.

"Are we gonna get in trouble for this?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Nope, got an in with the owner of the property. We got all this to ourselves for the day and I don't have to work later."

I think about what she says as she gets out again to close the gate and there's really only one person she knows that could be responsible for this. He can't own all this though. "Are you staying your boss owns this land?" I ask when she's back in the car.

Faith nods and grins. "Yep."

"But he's so . . ."

"Sleazy?" Faith finishes for me and we laugh a little as she stops at the end of the road. "Yeah, he is but he also knows how to get land cheap, especially when the owners live in Sunnydale and suddenly die or disappear. I guess this used to be owned by a demon. Can you believe that?"

I smile as I get out of the car and start to help her get everything she brought. "Why is Gary letting you come out here?"

"He felt bad that I missed your first night back from San Diego 'cause I was at the bar," she says. "I think he really just wants to make sure I don't leave. He said having a slayer on the payroll is priceless."

"You should ask for a raise then," I joke with her and look ahead to see the ocean and a small beach area. Not as nice as the public beach but we are definitely alone.

Faith doesn't say anything else and we walk to the sand in silence. Once we get there we set everything and I notice Faith's brought a little of everything: sandwiches, fruit, chips and a bunch of other little snacks. Then there's the three or four different kinds of drinks and of course, all the beach supplies. I spread out a towel on the sand and look up as Faith strips down to a very small black bikini.

I'm pretty sure my mouth is open. There may be some drool.

"Like what you see, B?"

I want to narrow my eyes at the confident smirk she has but she's not wrong. "Definitely."

She doesn't respond to that but I know her eyes are on me as I take off my shirt and shorts to reveal my light blue bikini. I can feel the blush begin to creep onto my face so I turn away and concentrate on folding my clothes and putting them off to the side. Once I stand up though, Faith's arms are around me and she turns me to face her.

"Damn, B," she says as she puts her lips to my ear. "I could just fucking eat you right here."

There isn't anything I can think of to respond to that so I just kiss her instead, something she returns instantly. Faith deepens the kiss quickly and I know that if I let this keep going I don't know how we're gonna be able to stop. When I feel her hand move up my back to my bikini top that's the sign I need to break away.

"Sorry," Faith breathes out before leaning down and placing a couple kisses on my neck. "Think I'm gonna have a problem today."

I get on my tiptoes and put my lips to her ear. "You're not the only one."

Faith grins widely at me but takes a step back. I think she's trying to control herself, though I wouldn't mind if we made out a little more. It's not like there's anyone watching us.

We get everything else set up, Faith even thought ahead to bring an umbrella when we want shade, and get suntan lotion on each other with only minimal groping. After we lie back on the towels and relax, something neither of us get a chance to do when we're slaying and training.

Once I close my eyes I think about the fact that Faith and I are moving faster than I thought we would. When she first kissed me I didn't think only a few short weeks later I'd be wondering when is the best time to see her naked. Hell, I wasn't even sure I wanted to see her naked. The way she looks in a bikini though is telling me I definitely want see everything.

After awhile I open my eyes and turn my head to look at Faith. She's got her eyes closed and it looks like she might even be sleeping. My eyes travel over her body as it glistens in the sun and I still can't get over how incredible she looks. Outside of a scar here and there, only a couple that I know are from slaying, her skin is just smooth. I can barely take my eyes off of her.

"Faith?"

"Yeah?" she asks without opening her eyes.

"Did you have a lot of days like this in Boston?"

Her eyes open then and she turns her body to me. "We don't exactly have the same kind of weather in Boston."

"You know what I mean," I say, smiling. "Did you have fun outings when you were in Boston?"

She thinks and shrugs. "Not really. If you're asking if my ma took me anywhere that'd be a big no. Outside of a couple class trips and a few times I skipped school to do something I actually wanted to do, I never went anywhere until I got called."

"I bet your watcher wasn't big on trips either."

"Probably as big as Giles would be."

We laugh a little before she sits up grabs some sandwiches and bottles of water from the cooler and sets them out. I sit up with her and we move under the shade for awhile to eat. Even though I know Faith didn't make a single thing she brought, it looks like she really took the time to make sure everything is just so. It makes me wonder how long she planned this.

I look out as we eat and this really is a beautiful beach. There can't be very many people who actually come out here either and I wonder why a demon would want it. It better not be for some evil purpose because that stuff has a way of finding us. Slaying duties have no place at the beach today.

When I look away and back at Faith she's looking at me. "What?"

"You'll really beautiful," she says and reaches out to place a hand against my cheek. "Just beyond hot."

And now I'm blushing but before I can say anything she leans in and kisses me. Her lips are so soft and I'm learning she has the power to turn me into a puddle. The little power I have left I use to move closer to her and place a hand on her side.

Faith uses an arm to move away the cooler so there's nothing separating us and soon I'm on my back and she's hovering over me. Now I'm very happy we didn't end up at the public beach today because I would've wanted to keep touching and public displays to a minimum and I'm having way too much fun at the moment.

I feel her hand move over my back and I tense a little at the thought that my top might be gone soon. The thought makes me more nervous that I thought it would and I think Faith's notices because she breaks away and places a few soft kisses on my neck before lying down next to me.

Part of me wants to give her an explanation but the other part wants to not dwell on it. The bottom line is that I don't want my first time with Faith to be at the beach. Some people might think that would be romantic but I am not one of those people.

"Wanna check out the water?" I ask.

She grins. "I think we'd be missing the point of the coming here if we didn't."

Both of us stand and race each other to the water. I bet we can have a little fun there, too.

* * *

><p>The day away from Sunnydale was so much fun but we knew we had to be back with time to spare before patrol so we ended up back at my house just before five in the afternoon. I could tell my mom was already home from work so I knew we'd have to behave once we got inside which is kind of why I don't immediately get out of the car when Faith kills the engine.<p>

"I wish we were still there," I comment.

"Yeah," Faith says as she looks over at me, "but I'm pretty sure we can go there again. Until then I have plenty of memories in that bikini to keep me company."

I laugh. "You're staying for dinner, right? I think my mom expects it now that we're here and she's been plotting what to make."

"I don't know." She looks down. "Being in the water for awhile means I could really use a shower."

"You can shower here," I say too quickly. It makes me blush a little with the way Faith raises her eyebrow at me but I think I can recover. "I mean, if that's all that's stopping you from staying you can use my shower."

She smirks but thankfully, doesn't comment on my eagerness to get her naked in my bathroom. "Cool, if it's all right with your mom then I'll stay."

I reach over and give her hand a little squeeze before we get out of the car and walk into the house. There's a huge part of me that would love to have just one more minute alone with Faith so I could properly thank her for today but my mom walks down the stairs as Faith closes the door behind us.

"Just in time for me to start dinner," she says with a smile on her face. "What did the two of you do today?"

"I thought I'd surprise B with a trip to the beach," Faith says. "Kinda needed a day away."

"Sounds fun." She looks at Faith. "Will you be staying for dinner?"

"Sure," Faith says slowly. "B said it's all right to use your shower if that's okay."

"Of course," my mom says and walks away toward kitchen. Neither of us say anything else as we talk upstairs.

We walk into my room and once I close my room Faith's kissing me lightly. I return it easily and think about how a few weeks ago I was confused at what I felt for her. It could be that I didn't know much about her then but now it's completely different.

"Today was great," she says as we break away. "I hope I didn't make you nervous."

Damn, she did notice. I had really hoped she didn't and I try hard not to blush but I'm pretty sure I'm failing. "You didn't."

I try to look away but she puts her hand on my chin and makes me look at her. "It's okay if you were. You know that, right?"

There's a lot going on in her head, her eyes tell me that, but I can't tell if she means it. That's the first time I can't and now I'm afraid she's saying something she doesn't really mean. "I don't know."

Faith scowls and takes a step away. She runs a hand through her hair and looks down before looking back at me. "Are you serious right now, B? You make it sound like I'm just here to get into your pants. Hell, if that were the case I'd have given up a long time ago."

I cross my arms over my chest and narrow my eyes. "You make it sound so romantic."

"I don't know what to do here, okay?" She stops scowling and looks at me with I can only guess is frustration. "You like all the buildup, the getting to know you part and dating and all that. I've never given that a second thought for a long time now and you know it. So when I try to do things your way you have to know I'm not trying to push. If I was we'd already have a whole lot more than you're comfortable with and you'd have pushed me away for pressuring you."

She sits down on my bed and lets out a sigh. I feel kind of stupid now but Faith makes me nervous for those very reasons. Everything she said makes me feel selfish, too. I don't want to be the one who always puts on the brakes.

I sit next to her and put my head on her shoulder. "You make me nervous."

"I don't want you to feel that way," Faith says quietly. "I like the fact I'm getting to know all about you. I'm kinda falling in love with you."

My whole body freezes at that. Well, except my heart. That's going a mile a minute and I don't know if it'll ever stop. "What?"

"I think you heard me pretty well."

I can't believe what I heard but when I lift my head up to look at Faith I can see she's very serious. The problem is as much as I want to say it back I don't think I'm quite there yet. I'm falling for her but I can't say that word yet.

Instead of saying anything I lean in and give her the softest kiss I can manage. At the same time I place a hand on her cheek to keep her right where she is. It only takes a second for her to respond but before either of us can deepen it, I break away and rest my forehead against hers.

"No more being nervous," I whisper. "I promise."

Faith nods. "I don't want to scare you off, B, but I really want you."

"I want you, too." I give her another light kiss. "I just want to keep doing what we've been doing."

She grins and stands, taking my hands and pulling me up with her. "I should shower before your mom starts wondering what the hell we're doing up here."

I give her hands a little squeeze before letting them go. "Probably a good idea."

We give each other one last look before I turn and let her head off to the bathroom while I start to walk back downstairs. The only thought in my mind is that Faith is falling in love with me. There's no way I can think of anything else.

* * *

><p>After dinner Faith and I dropped off Giles' car then went on patrol, which was more active than I would have wanted. Even though all we did all day was relax in the sun the only thing that got me through the night was the natural energy that goes along with the slay. If it wasn't for that Faith would've had to drag me through the three cemeteries we ended up patrolling.<p>

We ended up at Faith's apartment after that and crashed on the couch, watching whatever we could find on TV. I'm not sure how we ended up in our current position, me lying against Faith with her arms securely around me, but it feels good. It has me so relaxed that I'm fighting sleep within a half hour of watching some random movie we settled on.

"Already falling asleep on me, B?"

"Hmm."

Faith stays silent for a minute then I feel her lips against my ear. "Wanna stay here tonight?"

It takes me a second but I slowly nod. I have to admit even though I'm not ready for sex with Faith yet sleeping next to her is pretty amazing. There's a feeling of contentment that I've never felt before, not even with Angel.

"You know, B," Faith says quietly, "all I can think about sometimes is the first time we're together. You ever think of it?"

She doesn't know the extent of which I've thought about it. It makes me nervous and excited at the same time. "Yeah."

"My brain keeps showing me what it'll be like."

I can't help but sigh contentedly at the thought of Faith thinking about it. "How will it be?"

"It'll start with us just making out and it'll feel like that's all we'll be doing until something hits me and I'll just know," she whispers. "We'll stand and I'll look into your eyes, trying to make sure I can keep going. It kind of surprises me when I see it but it's there: you want me as much as I want you in that moment and it's all I can do to go slow."

Faith pauses and for a second I wonder if she's done but then she starts again. "I know you'll want to go slow though and I want everything to last all night. We take each other's clothes off piece by piece. You'll be a little nervous and I'll be, too, but I'll try to hide it 'cause you're all I think about, all I want." She places a light kiss on my ear. "I'll want to do everything to make sure you're not nervous so when we move to the bed I'll take my time and kiss every inch of you."

"And then what happens?" I manage to whisper out.

"Lots of things happen after that," Faith says as her hands move over my stomach. "I wouldn't want to spoil anything but it's incredible and after we've exhausted each other you fall asleep in my arms and I'll know I'll never wanna let you go."

I want to respond but I can't think of anything to say and she's making me so relaxed that I can't keep my eyes open. I feel her move against me and before I even realize it, she's picking me up and lying me down on the bed. There's a part of me that wonders whether or not there might be some undressing involved but I feel her cover me with a blanket so I guess not.

Faith mutters to herself for a minute and for a second I think she's going to end up on the couch again but then I feel her next to me as I drift off to sleep. The last thing I feel is Faith's arm around me as we both fall asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **thanks to everyone who's sticking with this one and for reading/reviewing. :)

Chapter Ten

* * *

><p>Will's gotten her way: I agreed to go on a double date with her and Oz.<p>

She was so excited when I said yes but she has to agree this doesn't feel any different than when we just "hang out". We're only at the Bronze like we are all the time and it can't even be called an official double date yet. Faith's not here so right now it's just like it was before. Willow and Oz are all couple-y and I'm sitting here alone being the third wheel.

I wanted to meet Faith at the bar so we could show up together like an actual couple but since I hated being there last time she said she'd meet here. She's about an hour late at this point.

"Faith knew the time, right?" Willow asks above the music, which unfortunately is not something you can dance to. Faith'll hate it.

"Yeah," I say, nodding. ""She probably just got held up at work."

"I think she's at the bar," Oz says and points in that direction.

I look and smile when I notice her. She's wearing her black leathers and a tight red sleeveless top that I'm sure got her a lot of tips at the bar. There's a part of me that wants to tell her she shouldn't wear something like that to work but that's only because I don't want all those guys drooling over her. I should be the only one who does that.

Willow and Oz are quickly forgotten quickly and I don't say anything when I get up and walk over to the bar. Some guy is talking to her as she waits for the bartender and it's pretty easy to see he's flirting with her. I can't see her face so I don't know how serious she's taking him.

I put my arm around her waist once I get to her and I don't feel her tense when I do so I know she knows it's me. "Hey."

She turns to me and away from the guy instantly, who scowls then turns to start up a conversation with the woman on the other side of him. "Hey, yourself."

"We've been waiting for you."

The bartender gets her drink and she pays him quickly before turning back to me, putting an arm around my shoulders in the process. "Thought I'd get a drink first and attempt to enjoy this crappy music before I walked over."

I smile at the comment and it amazes me how happy I am to see her. I think I'm finally starting to realize just how much I've fallen for her. My heart wants me to say what I know Faith wants to hear but my brain stops me, probably because it doesn't feel right yet. Instead, I close the distance between us and give her a light kiss. It only lasts a second but there's a huge grin on Faith's face when I move away.

She leans in close, putting her lips to my ear. "I didn't think you'd be big on PDA."

I smirk at that. "I guess I'm just full of surprises."

"I guess so," Faith laughs quietly and leads us away from the bar, an arm around me while carrying her drink in her other hand.

Being this close to Faith automatically seems to put a smile on my face that it feels like we're the only two people here. It looks like Willow and Oz have been watching us from the booth though because my best friend has a very amused look on her face. I guess she's not used to seeing how I act with Faith but I guess that's understandable.

It's been a week since our day at the beach and I've slept over at her place twice since then. We're both used to the closeness but normally we're only at my house or her apartment. I think it's time we show that we're a couple more and I'm sure Faith will agree.

"Don't the two of you look so cute together?" Willow teases one we make it to the booth.

"I think we look pretty hot," Faith says as we slide into the other side of the booth. "What's with the music tonight? I was hoping to show B some moves."

I know I'm blushing as Faith puts an arm around my shoulders. "Maybe we could go somewhere else."

"Not a whole lot of other places in Sunnydale," Willow points out.

"The owner said he wanted to try a couple new bands," Oz says easily. "I don't think he ever heard them."

"Doesn't sound like it."

Faith and Oz start talking music and goings on at the Bronze and my mind drifts a little. Mostly, it drifts to two nights ago when I stayed with Faith. Our hands wandered a little more than they have before but I think Faith could tell when I started to get a little nervous because she stopped before anything could happen.

There's a part of me that figured Faith would have been a little more persistent in moving our relationship along. I know she said that I was calling the shots but I also know how slaying works her up. From the way she looks at me after I know she wants me.

What I don't understand is why I'm so afraid to take that next step?

When I'm with Faith she's different from the person I met almost a year ago. She's not guarded or closed off. She's funny and sweet and I can tell she means what she says . . . that she loves me.

"Spacing out on me, B?" Faith whispers in my ear as she pulls me a little closer to her. "Once the band stops and the music starts up I'm thinking we need to let loose a little."

When I turn to look at her she's got a grin on her face. "I guess we'll have to wait to see if they actually play anything decent."

"Faith?" Willow says, causing both of us to look away from each other and at her and Oz. "Why are you working at that bar anyway? Both of you get paid by the Council now so why bother with working? Especially where you work."

Faith shrugs. "I don't want the Council to approve of everything I do. Where's the fun in that?"

"So you're rebelling by getting a job?" Oz asks with a hint of a smile on his face. "I like it."

"When you say it like that it doesn't sound like it," Faith says, laughing quietly. "It sounds weird but I like it and the owner pays well to have a slayer on staff."

"Don't forget about the beach," I say.

"Yeah, and he had his own beach."

"That is a bonus." Willow laughs and it makes me happy that she's relaxed around Faith. I know my girlfriend has the tendency to make her nervous at times.

We end up talking and laughing for about an hour before the band takes a break and sure enough, music starts up that we can definitely dance to. Faith looks at me with a huge grin on her face and without saying a word she stands and pulls me up with her. I don't even have time to say anything to Will as I'm dragged to the dance floor, a place that's already starting to fill up.

"Faith!"

Once we're out there, she turns to me. "I think it's time we let loose a little."

I shake my head at her but it only takes a few seconds before I'm moving to the music with her. At first, we're not even dancing together as much as just dancing in the same area. The floor is starting to get crowded and after a minute Faith has a guy trying to get her attention and I scowl at the intrusion. I have the same problem with another guy but I move away and he gets the hint.

The guy trying to get all over my girlfriend doesn't seem to get the hint even though Faith moves toward me and turns her back on him. He smirks and moves with her, putting a hand on her hip in the process which only gets me angry.

It's a shame I can't hit him.

Instead, I make sure that everyone knows that Faith is taken. I close the distance between us and Faith smiles as I do, reaching out and pulling me the rest of the way so we're practically pressed against each other. Before I put an arm around her I use it to push her dance floor stalker away and smirk at him as he moves off to harass another girl.

"Getting a little possessive, huh?" Faith says as she puts her lips to my ear.

"I'm sure you'd do the same."

"Damn right."

I look into her eyes and can't help but grin as I do. She looks like she wants to take me right here, like she's completely turned on. I'd like to think I'm proven right when Faith wiggles her eyebrows and grins back before starting to move with me.

For a few minutes everything else just fades away and all that I can comprehend is Faith and the music. It ends not being overtly sexual but we dance together and I'm sure it's clear to everyone at the Bronze that we're a couple. Not a single guy attempts to dance with us for the rest of the song though I'm not completely sure I'd even notice. All I see is Faith.

"Have I told you how hot you look tonight, B?"

"Not yet," I say, smirking a little.

Faith opens her mouth to say it but then the song ends and something slower starts. She grins for a second then leans in, putting her lips to my ear. "You look really hot."

The only response I have for that is to let out quiet giggle before taking her hand and leading her back to the table. Willow and Oz are off in their own little world, whispering to each other, but they notice us when we sit back down.

"You two looked all . . . together out there," Willow comments.

Faith smirks. "Why weren't you two out there?"

"Oh, I'm not much of a dancer," Oz says. "It's why I'm in a band."

"That's the main reason?" I ask with a smile on my face.

He only nods, causing the rest of us to laugh. Faith offers to get the next round and I smile as she gets up to leave. The night turned out to be a lot of fun so far and it's really just beginning. I can't wait to see if we can get on the dance floor again.

* * *

><p>Since I still want to keep my mom in the dark about the fact Faith and I are dating I don't want to stay at Faith's apartment every night. Which is why instead just taking the short walk to Faith's place for the night, I'm walking home. But then again, Faith is with me.<p>

I told her she didn't need to walk me home since it's not like I can't protect myself but she said she wanted to and I didn't argue with that. It's really the first chance all night we got to be alone all night aside from when we were dancing.

I really liked the dancing.

"Thanks for doing this."

"Doing what?" Faith asks. "Walking you home? I knew you wanted a little extra protection."

When I look at her she's smirking, which makes me laugh. "That's not what I meant. Thanks for doing this double date thing Willow wanted."

She shrugs. "It was kinda fun . . . and kinda what we always do when we're at the Bronze."

"I know," I say as I smile at her, "but Will likes that we labeled it that way."

Faith puts an arm around me as we walk up to my front door and I really don't want her to go. We had such a great night and I don't want it to end. At the same time, I also know my mom probably wouldn't want me to stay out all night. Before I left tonight I told her I was coming home and not staying at Faith's so I know if I'm out any later she might panic if she wakes up.

"So . . . I'll see you tomorrow?"

We kiss but it's too short and she starts to turn away but I keep hold of her hand. Faith looks down at her hand then at me with a raised eyebrow and all I can do is smile for a second, not knowing how to say what I want.

"What's up, B?"

"I-I don't want you to go."

"You wanna go back to mine?" Faith asks quietly.

"No, I told my mom that I'd be here tonight," I answer but still smile at her. "You could, I don't know, stay here tonight?"

Faith furrows her brow for a second and run a hand through her hair. "I don't know, B. You think your mom will be okay with that?"

I shrug. "I stay with you. Why can't you stay here?"

She looks like she's thinking it over but I don't think my mom with care. She likes Faith and it's not like she's gonna find us in some sort of naked situation. I only want to sleep next to Faith tonight. It's a closeness I've gotten used to.

"I guess so." Faith still looks a little hesitant though. "This isn't like my place though. I kinda don't have any clothes to sleep in and I'm not about to test out your mom's hearing by fooling around."

I don't say anything in response, only keep hold of her hand as I unlock the front door and get us inside. The house is dark, which I appreciate because that means my mom didn't worry and wait up for me. It's also late and I'm not sure if I could come up with a quick excuse as to why Faith would be spending the night.

We walk up the stairs quietly and I keep hold of her hand, trying to push down any nervousness. I don't know why I'm still nervous about situations like this. I don't want to be but I'm pretty sure by the time we reach my room I'm gripping Faith's hand pretty hard.

Faith closes the door behind us and I go about trying to find something for Faith to sleep in when I feel her wrap her arms around me from behind. "I can sleep in my clothes if you can't find anything."

"I can find something," I whisper as I pull out a t-shirt and shorts. "Leather pants can't be comfortable to sleep in."

I hand her the clothes and pull pajamas out for me and now there's a little awkwardness. When we're at Faith's there is a bathroom to run off to. Outside of that first day when I accidentally saw Faith's naked reflection there hasn't been a situation where I've had the chance again.

"I'll turn around, B," Faith says and smiles at me.

The only thing I can do is smile back and turn around, too. We change without saying anything even I have to fight to keep from turning around. There's a part of me that wants nothing more than to fall into bed with her and really explore her body and have her explore mine.

Of course, the other part is absolutely terrified of that happening.

I get dressed as quickly as I can but by the time my shirt's on Faith has her arms around me again and her lips press against my neck. The only response I can even think of is to lean against her as she moves her hands over my stomach. I can't help but wonder if she's thinking about how far I'll go with the kissing and the touching.

It takes some effort but I move away and turn to face her. She seems to know what I'm thinking and we silently get into bed, Faith leading the way. I'd give anything to know what's going through her mind. Normally, she'd be making some comment about whatever she notices in my room but I haven't gotten any of that from her.

Once we're lying down we look at each other and Faith reaches out, running a hand down my arm. "We have a connection, you know that, right?"

"I think I do," I say. "It's why we fight so well together."

She nods. "We're the Chosen Two. You're the only one who's supposed to get me." She pauses. "Why are you so nervous? It's coming off you in waves."

"I don't know," I admit. "I don't want to be nervous."

Faith moves a little closer. "Is it because of what happened with Angel? Are you afraid because of what happened?"

This conversation is embarrassing and even though it's dark I'm sure Faith knows I'm blushing. "It's just . . . what happened after . . ."

"I'm not gonna turn evil, Buffy. You're not gonna wake up alone and I'm not gonna up and leave you. That much I can guarantee."

That is something that worries me and I'm not going to lie by saying it isn't. That's only part of it though and I'm not sure how to talk about the rest. "That's not everything."

Faith looks away from me for a second, like she's trying to figure out exactly what's going on in my head. When she looks back at me again she also pulls me to her so we're only a couple inches apart. "You are the first person I actually care about. You think that doesn't freak me the fuck out?"

"I guess I didn't think about that."

"Next time you're over-thinking what we have going on just think about that." She pauses. "This is new for me, too . . . just for different reasons."

It feels a little ridiculous that I haven't thought about that much. When I date someone, there's feeling behind it and if there's not I don't think I'd pursue it. If I didn't have feelings for Faith I wouldn't have been with her this long. With that, I wouldn't even think about sex with someone just to get off. I've never even thought about it.

When I first met Faith she practically oozed sex and it was one of the main reasons why I didn't think I had anything in common with her. She talked about hooking up after slaying, the whole "get some, get gone" attitude, and thought I was weird that I didn't do that. This whole time part of me thought Faith was thinking about getting me naked.

I definitely didn't think she'd be nervous because of what she feels for me.

When I look into her eyes I see so much and I can't help but smile. Now that Faith's let her walls down those big brown eyes are so expressive. "I like that you're here."

Faith kisses my forehead before moving so we're kind of resting against each other. "Not going anywhere, B."


	11. Chapter 11

**N/A: thanks to everyone reading/reviewing. I appreciate them. :)**

Chapter Eleven

* * *

><p>The morning went okay. I think my mom liked the fact that I was staying at home for once and maybe ignored the fact that Faith stayed over. She didn't look like she suspected that anything else happened or is happening between us.<p>

At least, I don't think so. I'm not sure how good I am at reading people anymore. How Faith felt did take me by complete surprise. Hell, I didn't realize how I felt about Faith right away so I can't even read myself.

Does that even make any sense?

My mom offered to make breakfast but Faith kind of made a hasty exit. Once she saw my mom in the kitchen maybe she got a little nervous or something. She just said she needed to shower and get some clean clothes and that she'd meet me at Giles' later. There wasn't even a mention of meeting at her place which is what I wanted to do.

If I didn't know any better I'd say she freaked a little.

There's a knock on the door as I'm getting ready to leave to meet her at Giles' and part of me really wants Faith to be the one knocking. Willow's on the other side though and I try my best not to look too disappointed.

"Expecting someone else?"

I narrow my eyes at the smirk on her face but smile as well. "I was hoping Faith would come back."

She laughs for a second before she fully understands what I said then her eyes go wide. "What do you mean 'come back'?"

I step aside to let her in and we walk to the living room. She sits on the couch and I sit next to her, knowing she wants all the details. "After we left the Bronze Faith walked me home . . . and she stayed the night."

"What? What happened?"

I sigh. "Nothing happened but I know she wanted something to more."

Willow looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "I don't mean to point out what should be obvious but that sounds weird, you know that right? I mean, don't you want something more to happen, too? It shouldn't be just Faith doing the wanting."

I think about that for a moment and she's right. I do want something more to happen but all the nerves still aren't going away. "Yes, I want something more. I'm just . . . I don't know what I'm doing, Will. I want Faith but I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

That's also something I need to think about, mostly because I don't know how to say it. Not without getting embarrassed. "I don't know. Maybe it's that I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to disappoint."

I look away because I definitely know that I'm blushing but I feel Willow's hand on my shoulder. "I don't think you will. Faith's loves you. That's gotta count for something."

"Yeah." I know she's right. I feel it every time I'm with Faith. "I guess I just have to keep telling myself not to be scared."

Will nods and it feels good just to say that out loud. I know I have to get over my fear because it's an irrational one. The truth is that I'm falling in love with Faith just as much as she's falling in love with me. That's why I don't want to disappoint her.

I decide to change the subject and we start talking about college that's coming up way too soon and that has me nervous on a whole different level. It's also something that distracts from my relationship with Faith.

Then again, nothing can really distract me from Faith.

* * *

><p>"I really hate nights where there's nothing to stake."<p>

I look at Faith as we walk through the second cemetery of the night and smile. She's been complaining since there was nothing to stake in the first fifteen minutes and it's a little sad but I think it's kind of cute. Or maybe I just think she's cute.

She does have her skin tight leather pants on tonight.

"Maybe if we don't find anything at the next cemetery we can just call it a night."

Faith grins at me as she pulls me to her, an arm going around my shoulders. "You have something else in mind, B? Wanna go to the Bronze?"

When I look at her she has to know I don't want to go to the Bronze. As much as I love dancing with her and hanging out with Willow and Oz if they're there, I want her all to myself tonight. There's a part of me that feels tonight is the night and I don't want that feeling to go away.

After talking with Willow earlier I had a chance to really think about why I was scared. It's really embarrassing to be scared of this relationship, too, because I'm a slayer. If a vampire or demon came at me the last thing I am is scared. But this thing with Faith . . . well, I'm out of my element. That's why I'm scared.

"B?" Faith kisses the side of my head as we walk out of the cemetery. "You gotta stop thinking and give me an answer."

I smile. "Maybe not the Bronze tonight. We can just go to your place."

"Ah, you want me all to yourself."

She knows me so well. "Maybe."

"Yeah, you do." The smirk on her face is so confident but I don't comment on it.

Faith must think we're done slaying on that note because instead of walking toward the next cemetery that we normally go through she turns us the other way back toward downtown Sunnydale and her apartment. I almost want to say that we should check out one last cemetery but we haven't seen a vamp all night. There doesn't seem to be a point in wasting any more time on patrol.

"You hungry?" Faith asks quietly. "We can get some takeout before we go to my place."

"I'm okay."

We don't really talk the rest of the way but Faith keeps an arm around me, keeping me close. That action is making me all warm and tingly and I'm not sure if that's a slayer thing or just a Faith thing. I've never felt these kind of tingles before but I definitely like them.

When we get to the apartment we relax on the couch and Faith turns on the TV. "There's gotta something on."

I relax against her and my hand drops innocently on her thigh. "Maybe a movie?"

"Maybe," Faith mumbles and when I turn to look at her those big beautiful eyes they're staring at my hand. "B, I . . ."

My lips are on hers before she can finish her sentence and I know I've caught her off guard because she doesn't react right away. I keep trying to be the one to make the first move when we're like this and I'm hoping tonight my nerves will go away so we can go farther. That's why the phrase "Faith loves me" is repeating itself in my head.

Faith moves away after a few seconds and looks at me. I mean really looks at me before softly kissing me. That makes me fully turn to her and I feel her hands on me. She's trying to keep everything light and gentle, her hands lightly caressing whatever part of me they touch.

After a couple minutes, Faith deepens the kiss and I let out a quiet moan. She is such a good kisser that I think I could spend a lifetime kissing her and it wouldn't be enough. There's so much passion in it that it makes me lightheaded.

We keep kissing, only stopping when we need to take a quick breath before going right back to it. At the same time our position on the couch slowly moves so that eventually I'm lying down and Faith is hovering over me. Once we're like that my hands really start to move over her back, tentatively teasing with moving under her shirt.

When we break away to take another breath Faith's hand move to my cheek, cupping the side of my face. She doesn't say anything right away, only looks into my eyes like she's trying to see something. It's like she's looking for a sign.

Finally, I have to do something so I kiss her again. She responds to it but only for a moment. At first I think something's wrong because the next thing she does is to get off the couch, pulling me up in the process. Faith turns off the TV then looks at me again, smiling a little as she moves her hands up my arms to my shoulders then down my back where she pulls me close to her and rests her forehead against mine.

"I want you, Buffy."

My heart flips a little at that but I'm not able to find words. It's like my mouth doesn't work.

"There's nothing I want more," she whispers out. "You're everything to me."

My eyes are tearing up a little but it's not because I'm scared or that I don't want to. It's because I love Faith as much as she loves me and I think my nerves are finally going away. I take her hand and start to lead her toward the bed but she stops me.

"Wait, B," she says quietly. "I wanna hear you say it."

I took at her and she gives me the sweetest smile. "Yes," I barely get out, nodding slowly.

Her smile becomes a grin and she gives me a light kiss. "We'll go slow, okay? No need to rush."

With that said Faith keeps hold of my hand and we move away from the couch and toward the bed. After we take the step up Faith stops us and kisses me. It's slow and deliberate, like she's really trying her best to keep me calm so I don't run. I think we're past that point though. My nerves aren't completely gone but they're definitely not telling me to stop.

Faith brings her hands to the bottom of my shirt and she starts to pull it up. I move my arms to let her and then it's gone, Faith dropping it to the floor. She moves her hands over my arms and my bare stomach like she's trying to memorize it. Then she leans in to place light kisses along my neck and collarbone, causing me to close my eyes. The feel of her lips on my skin is indescribable. It feels like I'm floating.

I feel her hands reach around and unclasp my bra. Faith moves her lips up and kisses mine while pulling by bra off, dropping it on the floor next to my shirt. She moves away and looks me over, causing me to blush. Her eyes are so huge and expressive right now.

"You are so beautiful, Buffy." She starts to take her own shirt off but I stop her.

"I want to do that."

Faith grins. "Good 'cause I want you to."

She winks at me and I giggle quietly as I take off both her shirt and bra. Once they're both on the floor I look her over in the same way she did me. Faith really has an amazing body and now that I'm really feeling it, the softest skin. I move my hands over her flat stomach and then up to her shoulders and down her arms, avoiding her breasts for now.

They're a little intimidating to say the least.

While I'm concentrating on moving my hands over Faith I'm vaguely aware that she's unbuttoned my jeans and is oh-so-slowly pulling them down. When my eyes tear themselves away from what my hands are doing I notice she's smiling at me.

"What?"

Faith kisses me but just when I want to deepen the kiss she moves away. "Let's get a little more naked, okay?"

My pants are off before I can even respond to that and I only really help get Faith's off. I wonder if she's starting to go faster, getting ahead of herself a little. When she told me how she imagined our first time together she said that she had to remind herself that she needed to go slow.

"Faith?"

She kicks her pants off and pulls me into a loose embrace. I can feel her skin against mine for the first time and feels like my nerves on fire. There's a sort of electricity to it, like I just got a shock but a good kind. Something like that anyway.

"Yeah, baby?" she asks before giving me a sweet, light kiss.

"Slow, right?"

Faith presses her hand against my cheek, caressing it lightly. "Absolutely . . . I want this to last all night."

It's lines like that that make me love her. I almost say it, too, but it seems like a bad time to say it, right before we have sex. Instead, I let her take my hand and lead us over to the bed where we lie down. Faith moves to hover over me and we kiss again but this time it goes from light to deep and passionate in next to no time.

While she props herself up she uses her spare hand to move over my body until it reaches my breasts. Then I feel her fingers start to play with a nipple and causes me to break the incredibly hot kiss we were sharing and moan out into the room.

"Damn, I love it when you do that," Faith says as she slips a leg in between mine. "I wanna keep making you do that."

"You're doing a good job so far," I almost sigh out as her skin rubs against mine.

"I think I can do better than that."

She starts her way down my body after saying that but it's painfully slow. Faith starts by kissing and licking down my neck, paying special attention to my pulse point. I moan out quiet at the action but realize that I can really be as loud as I want. It's not like I'm at home or anything.

Oh, crap. My mom. "Faith, wait."

I swear I hear her groan even though I bet she's trying real hard to be sweet. She kisses up my neck and places a soft kiss on my lips while running a hand up my side. "Are you okay, B?"

When I look into her eyes I can see she's trying hard not to get upset about stopping. "What if my mom comes looking for me? I didn't tell her I was staying here."

Faith smiles and it looks like there's a little relief behind it, knowing that I don't want to stop. "Your mom's not gonna come looking for you."

"Why do you think that?"

"Have you told her every time you've stayed here?" she asks quietly, a hand moving over my stomach as she does. I shake my head as she continues. "She knows you're safe with me."

I smirk at that. "I'm pretty sure she doesn't know your intentions."

We look at each other and both of us let out a laugh. It's a little unreal talking like this when we're in just our panties but I'm finally realizing that I'm comfortable with this, with Faith seeing me naked. Not only that, I'm more than okay with seeing Faith naked.

She leans down and starts where she left off before I interrupted her, starting by placing kisses along my collarbone. Without even realizing what I'm doing I hear myself start to let out little sighs as she kisses my skin. The combination of her soft lips and her hand moving over my body, almost massaging my skin, is making me unable to be silent.

There isn't a whole lot I can do in return as she really has all the control at this point. I want her to make her feel as good as she's making me but there's not many options. I can only opt to keep my hands on her however I can. They move over her skin slowly so I can really feel every part of her while her lips make their way to my breasts.

"Faith," I half sigh, half moan out at the first feel of her lips on a nipple. I can almost feel her smile before she starts to lightly suck.

My hands end up in her hair as she pays special attention to my breasts, kissing them and gently sucking on the nipples. By the time she starts to move further down I'm pretty much just moaning nonstop. The feelings she's giving me I've never really experienced before.

When Faith reaches my panties I get a little nervous but I try my best not to show it. She looks up at me and when our eyes meet she smiles.

"You're amazing," she whispers before slowly taking off my panties and dropping them to the floor.

I think she's going to move back up to me but instead she moves off the bed and stands next to it. Faith keeps eye contact with me as she takes off her own panties before sitting down next to me. I prop myself up on the bed with my elbows as she places a hand against my cheek.

There's a silence between us and I wait for Faith to say something. It feels like she wants to but right when I think she will she moves back on the bed, lying next to me. We kiss again and it's starts light and sweet but it doesn't stay that way. Soon her tongue's exploring by mouth and she moves more on top of me, slipping a leg between mine.

We only break apart to take a quick breath and then we're kissing again. I can feel just how wet she is as she moves against my thigh and as she moves into me, there's no doubt that she can feel the same. Her thigh is hitting me just right, too.

Of course, she moves away just enough but that's when I finally realize her hand's been making its way down my body. The moment her fingers touch my clit I break away from her lips and let out a moan. Faith only starts to place kisses on my neck up to my ear.

"You have no idea how good it feels for you to be against me," she says in between kisses.

"I think I do," I manage to get out. I turn my head to face her and we kiss again as her fingers start to explore.

Even though Faith's doing everything she can to distract me, I don't want to be that person that just lies there. I try to keep my hands moving over her, trying to feel every inch of her even though it's getting hard. My senses are kind of on overdrive.

Faith slowly pushes a finger into me just then and I let out a sound that I have never let out before. I think it's kind of combination of a squeal and a moan but it doesn't last long because Faith's kissing me again. It feels like she's trying her best to make me feel both comfortable and amazing.

Her finger stills for a moment, letting me adjust, before it starts a slow rhythm. At the same time I feel her moving against my thigh, her juices just coating it. It's not long before my hips move with her and even though I don't want it, I think I'm going to be coming sooner than I want.

Faith kisses me lightly then rests her forehead against mine. "You okay?" She waits for me to slowly nod then kisses me again. "I love you, Buffy."

We're kissing again before I can say anything back. I want to tell her that I love her, too, and that I have long before tonight. Instead, all I can do is moan into her mouth as we move against each other.

When we break apart to attempt to catch our breath, I finally manage to get something out even if it's not exactly what I want to say at the moment. Or what I want to have happen either. "I'm . . . I'm so close already."

"Come for me, baby."

She speeds up just that little bit more and moves her full lips over to my ear. Faith whispers in my ear as she continues to move, little things like how beautiful she thinks I am and that she loves everything about me. All things that only make me more turned on and I didn't even think that was possible right now.

It isn't too much longer after that that I come with a scream, gripping Faith tightly as I do. She thrusts against my thigh a few more times and then I feel her coming, too. I can't exactly describe the feeling I get as she continues to move into me, letting me ride out my orgasm. It's more than just love, I know that, but I can't place it.

I really need to stop thinking.

Faith seems to remind of that without even knowing it because as we start to come down she starts kissing me again. It's more soft and tender than passionate now. I can feel that she loves me with each kiss.

After a minute she removes her finger from me and I let out an involuntary sigh. That gets a smile out of her and she wraps an arm around me before rolling us so she's on her back and I'm mostly resting on her. We look into each other's eyes and Faith smiles.

"You're amazing."

I can feel the blush almost instantly and I feel the need to hide but there really isn't a place to do that. Faith seems to know what I want to do since she places a hand lightly on my chin so I can't look away. "I really didn't do anything," I say quietly.

"Not true," she says. "You're here with me, getting rested for more. We're just beginning here."

"Really?" I smile and feel my blush start to go away. "I love you, Faith."

The grin on her face is gigantic the moment I say it. "Love you, too, Buffy." She kisses me gently as her hands move over my back. "I haven't even begun to show you how much."

We start kissing again and I wonder if I'm going to get any sleep tonight.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks to everyone sticking with this one. :)**

Chapter Twelve

* * *

><p>I swear mornings have never felt this good.<p>

I don't know when we finally passed out but I don't think I've been asleep for that long. The sun looks like it's just starting to rise, reflecting off some of Faith's furniture and lightening up the room. Then again, I'm still a little exhausted from last night so I barely care enough to lift my head off the pillow.

When I finally did fall asleep Faith had her arms around me and she still does. We've moved during the night though because I distinctly remember closing my eyes with my head on Faith's chest, which makes a surprisingly comfy pillow. Now I'm on my side facing away from the rest of the apartment and Faith's spooning me. I can feel her pressed against my back.

Last night was incredible. I've had dreams of what our first time together would be like and if I'm being honest, some nightmares, too. There have been times where I've dreamt that I was so terrible that Faith dumped me right after and those have happened just as many times as the dreams were it's the best ever. It's part of the reason I've been so nervous. I wasn't sure I could stand it if it ended badly.

Faith was so gentle and tender last night which I have to admit was a little bit of a surprise. Part of me thought the first time with Faith would be a little rushed because of the fact that I'd finally said yes even if she had said she wanted to take slow. It wasn't like that though. It was everything I thought it'd be and more.

After Faith seemed to touch and kiss every inch of me, I got to do the same. That actually was something I wasn't expecting but then again, I didn't know what to expect. I knew what Faith wanted, she'd told me as much, but after that I had no idea.

Now I can say I've explored every part of Faith and I can safely say that I know how amazingly beautiful she is. She blushes, too. Can you believe that? Even though it was dark I could tell that she did when I told her how gorgeous I thought she was. I have a feeling she's not used to people saying that and genuinely meaning it. That's something I hope to change because Faith needs to hear things like that and I want her to know I mean it every time.

I move slightly on the bed, mostly because I'm curious about what time it is, and I feel Faith move in response. There's a part of me that wants to stay like this forever since the feel of Faith holding me is much too comfortable but another part wants to get home and see if my mom is upset about me not coming home. Faith was right in that I don't always tell her when I stay here but that doesn't mean she doesn't worry.

My eyes close and Faith's hand begins to move slowly over my stomach then up to my breast and back down. At the same I feel her lips press softly against my back and I can't help but feel all tingly. She places light kisses on my shoulder blade then up to my shoulder and neck. Once she gets to my ear she kisses it lightly, too.

"Good morning, baby."

The only response I have right away to that is to shiver lightly. It's a huge turn on for her to call me "baby". "Good morning."

I turn my head and she kisses me before I say anything else. It's soft and gentle, like she's trying to feel out what I feel now that we're in the morning after stage. She has to know I'm not going to get up and say this was a mistake. The fact I'm still here should be proof enough. Hell, the fact that I was pretty insistent on exploring her last night should be proof enough.

When we break apart she loosens her hold on me enough so I can turn toward her so we're face to face. Her eyes are so bright and it looks as though she's actually glowing. Faith doesn't even smile like that when she's slaying or anything else. I don't think I've ever seen her this happy and it blows my mind that I might be responsible for it.

There are so many thoughts going through my mind but the strongest is that I really should make sure my mom knows where I am. I keep having visions of her showing up out of concern and discovering me naked and in bed with Faith. It's probably the worst way for her to find out and it would be a complete nightmare.

No, I want to tell my mom with clothes on at the very least.

Faith runs her fingers through my hair before resting her hand against my cheek. "Didn't think you'd be thinking so hard so early."

I smile. "I was just thinking that I should really go home."

She tightens her hold around me quickly. "No, you should stay here with me."

"But I don't wanna make my mom suspicious," I say and lean in, kissing her lightly.

"Why would she be suspicious, B?" Faith kisses me back just as lightly. "She doesn't know about any of this. I haven't tried to feel you up in front of her or anything."

"I know," I say, laughing a little at her comment. "But now . . ."

"You get the feeling that now she's gonna find out something 'cause we've had the most amazing night of really, really hot sex," she finishes.

I nod and move to get up, thinking she'll understand, but as I move to get around her and out of bed her hands are on my hips and moves me so I end of sitting up and straddling her. She sits up as well and wraps her arms around me, her hands caressing my back. Her lips press against my collar bone as she keeps me close.

"You don't have to go anywhere, B." She places another couple kisses, slowly moving up toward my neck. "You can stay with me."

Faith is really making it hard to concentrate on what I was intending to do. My mind goes completely blank as she continues to kiss her way up my neck. All I can do is close my eyes and enjoy what Faith is doing to me. Between her lips and her hands she might reduce me to a puddle on the bed and I might never leave.

Then again, that's what she wants.

It takes a couple minutes but thought eventually does return to my brain and I pull away just enough for Faith to get the hint and she stops the kisses. She doesn't let me go though, instead pulls me back down to the bed with her.

"Why don't you wanna stay with me?"

It looks like there might be a crack in the happiness I first saw in Faith this morning and I don't want that. "I do, Faith. I just didn't want my mom to worry. That's all."

I lean down and kiss her to prove the point that I don't want to leave. Maybe it's all the emotions I'm feeling from telling Faith I love her and having sex with her for the first time that's making my brain not work. All I can think of is someone walking and ruining what's between us at this moment. I guess I'm the one doing the ruining right now though.

"B, your mom is probably around at work," Faith says as she keeps her hands lightly moving over me. "If she was worried she would've called or come over here." She pauses to kiss me and I'm already feeling better about not calling . . . or leaving. "That means that you can stay here all day."

"All day, huh?" I smile down at her. "What about training?"

"We can blow Giles off," Faith says as one of her hands reaches my ass. "I think we can think of something better to do than train."

Faith moves slightly underneath me and I'm quickly reminded that we're both naked. I can feel how wet she is and I half expect her to flip us over. It's only been a few hours of being with her naked but I already know the look she has in her eye.

"Yeah and what's that?"

"Well," she says as she brushes the hair out of my face, "first, we should probably get clean from all the dirty things we did."

That's not something I thought we'd be doing so soon and it never crossed my mind to be honest. Now that's all I can think about. "Shower together?"

Faith nods and seems to want a little more control because she flips us so she's back on top. "Definitely . . . and then we can get a little food 'cause we'll to get a little energy for the rest of the day, which will be clothing optional, of course."

I giggle as she starts to kiss my neck. "Of course."

She seems to want to keep me in bed and distracted, maybe because she doesn't want this to end. I hope that's at least part of the reason because that's how I feel right now. It's so comfortable being wrapped up with her, like our own little cocoon. Of course, there's still that thought in my mind that all this will end soon.

"No frowning," Faith says quietly. I didn't even realize I was. "We've got the whole day."

Faith tickles my side a little and I can't help but giggle. It's something like that where Faith shows the side of her that she hides from everyone else. I don't know why she does that and haven't found the courage to ask yet. She keeps telling me there's not many good memories from her childhood and Boston so I'm a little apprehensive at asking her why she doesn't show this sensitive and fun-loving side to more people.

"Come on," she says as she stands. She doesn't even attempt to cover herself up and I can't help but look her up and down. Faith notices right away and she grins before pulling me up with her.

Our arms are around each other quickly once I stand and we kiss gently. I can feel my body relax immediately and I can safely say that's only happened with Faith. No one I've ever dated has made me feel like this, including Angel. There was a time I didn't feel I'd ever think something like that but Faith keeps proving me wrong.

When we break away from each other we smile and Faith takes my hand before leading me into the bathroom.

* * *

><p>I'm both content and tired at the same time. That's something I can easily say is a first.<p>

Another reason I should've gotten over my fear of being intimate with Faith sooner than I did. Then again, maybe we've wouldn't have had something like last night happen and of course, this morning. Those memories I want to keep.

Once Faith got me into the bathroom we were all over each other. She had me pushed up against the wall before either of us had the chance to even turn on the water. I actually had to playfully push her away so we could do what she wanted to in the first place.

Faith pouted when I did. Can you believe that? She actually pouted.

I did tease her a little when she did. How could I not? First she blushes for me and then pouts. I really am seeing whole new sides of her but I was silenced quickly she turned on the water and we actually got into the shower.

It was definitely a new experience, one I plan on doing again the first chance I get.

We did eventually get clean but not before Faith made sure we got really dirty first. Her hands were everywhere, feeling up my whole body inside and out. She has the most amazing hands and it really makes me wonder how she learned how to move her hands over my body the way she does. Of course, that might be something I don't want to know.

One thing I did appreciate was that even though Faith lives in a relatively small apartment, her bathroom is spacious. And by spacious, I mean that the shower is big enough for two. It allowed me to flip our positions and pin her against the shower wall without hitting anything or destroying the shower doors.

The shower ended when the nice, comfortable hot water turned into ice water and we had to get out. Of course, that was before we gave each other multiple orgasms. I think the best part was when all I could do is brace myself as Faith got down and really showed me what her tongue could do.

We got dressed after that and picked up lunch quickly and now we're walking back to her apartment. On the way back Faith grabbed hold of my hand and hasn't let go yet. When I looked at her she only winked at me.

She's becoming quite the master of making me blush.

As soon as we get back into the apartment Faith sets the food on the table and is kissing me almost immediately. I respond quickly, wrapping my arms around her as I kiss her back.

"I don't know how I'm ever gonna stop doing that," Faith says when we break away. "I think you're just never leaving."

I giggle as she tickles my side. "Well, I think you're gonna have to settle for the next few hours."

"I don't know." Faith gives me a feather-light kiss. "I can be very persuasive."

There's not much I can say to that because it's true. Faith can get a lot by just giving someone that sexy little smile of hers but at some point I will have to leave. "Come on, let's eat. We have to get our energy back."

"True," Faith says as she winks at me, "there's always round two . . . or is it round four or five by now?"

I don't think there's any response to that.

* * *

><p>The clothes are off again.<p>

We ate our sandwiches in relative silence but once we were done Faith said that when she said clothing was optional for the day in the morning that really meant that clothes were not allowed. She was pretty insistent on that, too. My clothes were gone almost immediately and then we were on the bed again.

After that little activity, Faith showed what she had bought for me after the first night I stayed over: the most comfortable, fluffiest robe I've ever had. I raised my eyebrow at that one, mostly because I could've used it before I was getting naked in front of her, but it was pretty thoughtful of her. It's even pink, which I figure had to be painful for her to buy. There's no way she'd be caught dead in a pink robe.

The dark gray one she has on makes her look really hot.

We've been watching TV in silence for about an hour. I'm leaning against her as she keeps her arms around me. The only interruption we've had is a call from Giles wondering where we were. Faith told him we were exhausted and needed a day to relax. He relented but it sounded like he only did because he knew we weren't going to show and only said he see us tomorrow after Faith promised we'd do an extra long patrol tonight.

This whole time I've been trying to think of some questions to ask Faith. I do know more about her than anyone else but I still want to know more, especially after last night . . . and this morning . . . and a couple hours ago.

"Faith?"

I hear her exhale then her lips press against the top of my head lightly. "Yeah, B?"

"When did you realize you liked me?"

"I don't know, really," she says quietly. "When I first got here all I wanted was to meet the great Buffy Summers, the slayer my watcher talked about. You were a real legend, B."

And I'm blushing. "No, I'm not."

"You were." Faith holds me tighter. "I really wanted to get in good with your friends and then I met your mom and knew you had everything I'd always wanted. I guess the way I went about all of it wasn't exactly of the good. And then you were . . ."

"Kind of a bitch," I finish for her.

"I'll never admit that's what I was going to say," Faith says and I can tell she's smiling. "At least, not if I want to see you naked in the near future . . . or in a couple of hours."

"That's a good idea," I respond as I smile.

Faith doesn't say anything for a minute and I'm about to ask again but then she starts up again. "I guess I realized I liked you once we really started working as a team. I'd notice little things about you, like that little half smile and the way you'd look good even after slaying a group of vamps." She pauses. "But you were with Angel so I thought I'd be okay with friends or whatever we were."

"I guess it was a complicated school year."

"I have a feeling everything about you and this town is complicated."

I laugh. "Hey, don't judge until you've been through at least two apocalypses."

"Good point."

Faith leans down and kisses my neck before there's a silence between us again. There's an action movie on and I think Faith is busy getting lost in the multiple explosions and fight scenes. I close my eyes and concentrate on the feeling of my girlfriend's body on mine, my back pressed against her chest.

My mind starts going through ways I can tell my mom about Faith. I don't want my relationship with her to be a secret. I do love her and I'm not going to hide that. Now the timing has to be right so I can tell my mom.

I wonder if the timing will be right tonight.

"Hey, stop thinking those deep and meaningful thoughts," Faith says quietly in my ear. "We're supposed to be relaxing and you've got a weird look of determination on your face."

"How can you see my face?"

She laughs quietly. "I can see your reflection, B."

"You think my mom is cool?" I ask, trying to change the subject even though it's probably temporary.

"Yeah, she is." Faith laughs again. "Your mom actually cares, B. Think about it: your mom actually worries about you. My mom never did anything like that. I was always on my own but you don't have that. Your mom wants to be in your life, even after all the slaying stuff. That's kinda cool."

I guess she had a point. My mom has had to deal with a lot of my issues the past couple years. There was all the drama with Angel then having to deal with the fact her daughter is a slayer and dating a vampire. Hell, she had to deal with the realization that there are things like vampires, witches and demons. I'd say she's handled everything remarkably well considering.

More or less, anyway.

"I guess she is pretty cool . . . for a parent, that is."

We laugh and Faith starts watching the movie again. After a few minutes one of her hands manages to slip into my robe and she caresses my skin lightly. She must have some sort of angle because this robe I'm wearing is suddenly getting very hot.

Her hand moves over my stomach then inches its way up to my breast. My breath hitches once she reaches it, first moving her palm over it then playing with my nipple with her fingers. I start breathing heavily when she starts doing that and I'm instantly wet again.

No wonder she wanted this afternoon to be clothing optional.

"Faith . . ."

"I can't not touch you, B," she whispers in my ear. "It's all I can think about now."

"It's all I can think about now, too," I manage to get out.

She laughs. "I think we have time for a little more fun before we need to get dressed."

This seriously is the best day ever.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

><p>"I still think I need a car."<p>

I turn my head to look at her. "Is walking from your place to mine really that bad?"

Faith grins and squeezes my hand, which she's been holding the entire time we've been walking. "If I had a car we could've spent more time at my place instead of walking."

Now it all becomes clear. "You're always thinking about sex, aren't you?"

"When you're involved, yes."

I can't help but laugh as she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. She's so cute when she does that and I don't know if she knows how cute it actually is.

We're getting very close to my house and the whole time I've been thinking about how to tell my mother I'm in love with Faith. Part of me thinks she has to know something but she can be fairly blind when she wants to be. She could think all the time I've been spending with Faith is because I finally want to start working with her as a team.

Of course, she could know and just not want to say anything. After what happened with Angel she gets very uncomfortable when it comes to the topic of me and sex. Then again, that's probably the reaction most parents have. I don't think I want a mother who's all hands on about it.

I think I shuddered a little just thinking about it.

"You okay, B?" Faith squeezes my hand slightly.

"Yep," I answer. "Ready as I'll ever be."

We walk the rest of the way in silence, walking up to the house and going inside still holding hands. If I didn't know any better I'd say hard-core Faith likes the hand holding parts of our relationship. And here I thought she'd only be about slaying and sex.

"Buffy, are you home?"

My mom walks into the living room as Faith and I do and Faith lets go of my hand. Thing is, it's about a second too late. My mom's eyes go right to our hands before she looks up to our faces. There's a look in her eyes I can't place but then it's gone and she smiles at us.

"Faith, are you staying for dinner?"

Faith looks at me first then at my mother. "Uh, yeah, Mrs. S. I can stay for dinner."

"Good, I'll go start then."

"Mom, wait a second," I say before she can turn to the kitchen. "Can we talk to you before you start?"

Her face changes and just looking in her eyes I know that at least a part of her knows what's been going on. Whether or not she's ever admitted it to herself is another thing entirely. "Sure, honey."

Faith and I sit down on couch and my mom sits in the chair. We look at each other and I really don't know what to say. I have all the words I want to say but now they're all jumbled in my mind and I can't get them out.

Of course, Faith doesn't have that problem. "I'm in love with Buffy."

She really does get right to the point and my mom's mouth drops just a little bit. I think she's even rendered her speechless at the moment and when I look over at Faith she only shrugs. Maybe she couldn't think of the right thing to say either.

"Mom," I say quickly so maybe I can get her to stop being shocked, "Faith and I have been . . . seeing each other. We're dating."

I look back at Faith again to see if she wants anything to add but she only shrugs again. I guess she only wanted to kick start the conversation instead of actively participating. The only problem is my mother has yet to even utter a word.

"Mom?"

She shakes her as if to snap out of whatever she was thinking about. "Sorry, honey. This is just a lot to take in."

Now I'm kind of worried but when I look to Faith she only nods her head towards my mom. I look back to her and she's looking away with a furrowed brow. "Mom? Are you mad?"

Maybe she's realizing that she's freaking me out a little because she seems to try her best to have a neutral expression now. "How long have you two been . . . dating?"

Faith speaks up for that question. "Most of the summer. We were hanging out and one thing kinda led to another."

My mom doesn't respond to that and instead looks from Faith to me. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Uh, I guess I didn't want to say anything until we knew it was serious."

Oh, great. I do not like the look on her face now. It's like a realization just hit her and I'm scared that I know what that realization is. "Buffy, I don't know if I want to know the answer to this but I know you've been spending nights at Faith's and . . ."

And I'm fairly sure I'm blushing about as red as anyone has in the history of ever. I look over at Faith again and her eyes are wide at the question asked. "Uh . . ."

"Mrs. S," Faith starts out before I can begin what will likely be the babble to end all babbles, "before you say anything I just want you to know I'll never hurt Buffy. She means a lot to me."

"I'll take that as a yes to my question," my mom says and sighs. I feel a lecture coming. "Both of you are so young. I hope you have at least thought about what you're doing. I mean, these are big decisions and there's college in a couple weeks. You have to think about how these decisions affect your future."

"Of course I have, Mom," I say. I don't want her to think I'm being irresponsible or that I just jumped into bed with Faith without thinking. We both have thought about stuff like this. "We didn't exactly . . . I mean, we did . . . but it wasn't like . . . I mean . . . well, I guess . . ."

Faith puts her hand on my knee to stop whatever I was trying to say. I really don't know at this point and I hate that I'm so nervous. "Breathe," she says quietly.

"Buffy, I don't want you to be nervous about this with me," my mom says but she still has a serious look on her face. "I just don't know if you're ready for anything serious. After what happened with Angel . . ."

"This is not like what happened with Angel," I cut in. "Faith isn't a vampire. She's the one person who knows what it's like to be me and understands what it means. We've gotten to know each other and . . . I love her, Mom."

She sighs and I sneak a glance at Faith. The look on her face seems hopeful and I'm grateful she's here with me. I think I'd still be babbling if she wasn't.

"What happens when you're in the dorms and Faith's at her apartment? Will you be okay not seeing each other every day?"

I don't like that she has a point. "We'll still see each other for patrol."

"We'll make it work, Mrs. S. College comes first for B so I know there are days we might not see each other."

My mom stands then and I'm afraid she'll either repress what we've said or she won't believe it. I almost said I could move in with Faith but I bit my tongue on that. It would solve the not seeing each other part that she brought up but I was afraid of Faith's reaction.

If she freaked out this incredible day could've gone bad in a hurry.

To my surprise all my mom does is pulls me into a standing position before hugging me. I instantly relax as she does and when I look to Faith I can see she's smiling. She said my mom would be pretty cool about everything. Maybe she's better at reading people than I thought.

"I know it took a lot to be honest with me," she whispers in my ear as she hugs me. She lets me go then hugs Faith, who's eyes go wide at the move. "And thank you for being with Buffy when she told me. It says a lot about you."

"Uh, thanks?" Faith says as she looks at me.

She lets her go, smiling. "I'll start dinner and then we can talk. I don't think I know enough about you, Faith."

When she walks away Faith gives me the most panicked look I have ever seen on her. I bet she has no idea what she's gotten herself into.

* * *

><p>"How come your parents have never visited Sunnydale?"<p>

I raise my eyebrow at the question but don't look at Faith right away. We just started eating and I knew my mom would start asking questions right away. She's not going to follow the same rules Faith and I set when we talk about ourselves.

"Uh . . . my dad was never around," Faith says nervously. "Don't think my ma really wanted kids. I was kinda on my own a lot."

She nods. "Did you have a watcher in Boston?"

"Mom, remember?" I jump in since Faith is already shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Faith's first watcher died. That's why she came here."

"That's right." She nods again and lets us eat in silence for a few minutes before talking again. "Faith, do you ever plan to go to school? I would think you'd have some extra time during the day. Maybe not fulltime but a class here and there."

"Mom!"

"What, I want to make sure Faith knows she has options."

Faith just looks between the two of us as she chews her food before turning her attention to my mom. "I'm not big with school and besides, someone's gotta make sure B can concentrate on college. Slaying's gonna be my number one priority for now."

"Faith has a job, too."

"Mr. Giles wants you to quit that one, right?"

Faith nods. "Yeah, but it pays well so I'll keep it for as long as I can. I'd like to get a car at some point. Maybe a bigger apartment eventually."

We eat in silence again and I can tell Faith is a still little nervous. I think she's done pretty well so far with her answers even though I'm sure my mom wants her to go to school. That's something she's bound to bring up again and again.

"There's one thing I think I should bring up."

Both Faith and I look to my mom. "What's that, Mom?"

"I want you to concentrate on college." She looks like she's trying to get something out she doesn't want to talk about and I really hope she doesn't bring up sex. "Which is why I want you to keep the overnight visits to the weekends."

"Mom . . ."

"I know you're an adult and I don't have much say in the way your . . . adult decisions . . . but I don't want you missing classes because you're at Faith's. I want you to take college seriously."

Is it wrong that I'm relieved she can't truly say that she doesn't want me to have loads of sex at Faith's if it's going to affect how I do in my classes? I look over at Faith and wonder if I'll be on my own with this line of questioning. It looks like she's thinking the question over but it was directed at me so I turn my attention back to my mother. "You don't have to worry about that, Mom."

"Mrs. S," Faith says before I can say anything else, "I'm not going to get in the way of making sure B does well. Hell, I'll move closer to campus if it helps in any way."

"You don't have to do that, Faith," I say quickly as I look at her. "You love your apartment."

She only winks at me before looking at my mother. "I know you don't know me real well. I kinda don't talk about my past a whole lot but I really care about Buffy. I want you to be okay with us being together."

My mom smiles. "I imagined what it would be like when Buffy brought someone home for the first time officially. Can't say this is how I thought it out but don't worry. I'm not about to forbid you from seeing each other."

The grin on my face is never leaving. "Thanks, Mom."

I get up from my chair and hug my mother as she laughs quietly. "I know you have to patrol soon but I hope we can keep having dinners like this."

"Sure thing," Faith says almost immediately. "I don't cook so this is the only time I ever get anything homemade."

The look on her face is so cute. Hell, Faith is so cute. I can't believe the first part of telling everyone worked out so well.

* * *

><p>"Giles is probably pissed we skipped out on training today," I comment as we walk away from my house.<p>

"Well, he didn't show up," Faith says. She takes my hand and gives it a little squeeze. "That definitely would've been awkward since we were naked pretty much all day."

I laugh quietly. "Stop talking like that. Those are the kind of comments nightmares are made of."

We walk in silence for a few minutes but Faith keeps hold of my hand. I wonder what's going through her head right now. We should probably talk about what's going to happen once I do start college. There are going to be days where we might not see each other and I won't be able to stay with her every night. Hell, since I'll have a roommate in the dorms Faith won't even be able to spend the night there.

"So . . . my mom had a point when we were talking at dinner."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Are we going to be okay not seeing each other every day?"

Faith looks at me and raises an eyebrow. "I'm gonna try to see you every day, B. Just 'cause you have to stick with a schedule doesn't mean I have to. I can always swing by to molest you a little between classes."

I'm not sure that will work all the time but I like the fact she's trying. "I don't know if that will work 100% of the time but I like the thought of having smoochies between classes and studying and all that."

"Yeah, I'll bet I can work my shifts at the bar around some of that, too."

This is working out better than I thought. I'd be lying if I thought we'd make it through the year without some problem with how we see each other. There's a part of me that thinks Faith is the jealous type and me being around lots of new people won't help any. Then again, I have a feeling I'm the jealous type, too.

Once we're at Giles' place I hear a car door and then Willow and Oz are walking up behind us. Faith looks at me before smiling at the pair.

"We thought you'd be here," Willow says, a smile on her face.

"Yeah, just going to talk to Giles," I say, "about us."

"Oh," Willow says, not quite getting it until her eyes go wide. "Oh! Do you want us to go?"

I look at Faith and she shrugs. "Well, you could stay, I guess."

"Strength in numbers," Oz adds.

Faith lets go of my hand and I miss its warmth almost immediately. "We told Mrs. S tonight and she took it okay. Can't imagine Giles would have a problem. He'll probably only be upset that we blew off training today so we could be alone."

"Then everything should be fine," Willow says happily. "I mean, what's he gonna do? Have Faith shipped off to another hellmouth or something?"

My eyes go wide at the comment and I have a feeling Faith has a similar expression. I'm pretty sure she's stopped breathing. "Huh?"

"Can he do that?"

Willow looks horrified now, like she's jinxed us in some way. "I-I-I didn't mean it like that. I mean, well . . . I don't why I said that. Giles will be fine. He'll definitely be on the Buffy/Faith bandwagon."

I wasn't nervous before but suddenly I am now. When I look at Faith I can see she is, too. While I think Giles wouldn't do something so drastic as to send Faith away so we can't be together, now that the thought is in my head it's not going away.

"Let's go in before I start to freak out," Faith mutters as she knocks quickly then opens the door.

Giles is sitting in his chair reading a book and looks up as we walk in. He's got a couple other books open on the coffee table and I hope this doesn't mean some big evil's heading our way. That's the last thing I need right now.

A still-new relationship and all the new college stuff is more than enough for me at the moment.

"What's going on, Giles? Are there problems?"

Giles looks at Faith. "No, nothing on the horizon. Something both you and Buffy would know if you showed up for training or even reported in today."

"About that, Giles . . ."

"At the very least I expect a call stating you will not be showing up," he says as Faith and I sit on the couch. Willow and Oz also sit and while I love the moral support right now, their presence is making me a little nervous.

"Giles, I need to ask you a question before you start in on us, okay?"

He looks at Faith and takes off his glasses, cleaning them absently. "All right."

"Would you ever ship me off? You know, if I ever did something you didn't like would you, I don't know, transfer me somewhere else?"

I look over at Faith but she's not looking at me. I guess what Willow said get to her even more than it got to me. When I look over at them they are concentrating on the conversation Faith and Giles have started.

"I don't think there's ever been a situation where a watcher has needed to ship a slayer off somewhere," he says and looks thoughtful. "Well, aside from some misbehaviors of a slayer or two that caused them to be sent to the Council in England for rehabilitation."

"What did they do to cause that?" I ask quickly. I don't like the sound of that.

"Crimes against humans. Nothing like anything we've had to deal with here." He pauses and puts his glasses back on. "Certainly not for dating someone the Council finds objectionable."

Faith and I look at each other and I have a feeling the shock on her face is pretty much what's on mine. "Giles?"

He smiles. "Your mother called me a few minutes ago. She said she wanted to warn me so I wouldn't react badly in front of you. I have to say though I had my suspicions but I wish to respect your private life."

"Yeah, you know Buffy, if you didn't get shipped off for dating Angel then Faith wouldn't get sent off for dating you," Willow adds.

"You have such a way with words," Faith comments before turning back to Giles. "So you're okay with this?" She gestures to me and her. "'Cause we really wanna try this out."

"As long as it doesn't interfere with slaying and training I don't see why it would matter," he said. "So I'm going to assume that situations such as not showing up for training today won't happen again."

I shake my head. "Nope."

"Okay," he says, "now there's a prophecy I was look at earlier . . ."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **thanks to everyone who's been reading and/or reviewing throughout this one. Always very much appreciated. There will probably be a sequel to this. :)

Epilogue

* * *

><p>Tomorrow I move into the dorms and my nerves are completely shot.<p>

The last couple of weeks have gone by much too fast for my liking. I've had to go on a few shopping trips for everything I need to move from home to the dorms, there have been classes to sign up for and of course, spending every chance I can with Faith. Everything moving along and for once all I want to do is stand still.

To say I'm worried about the added distance I'll soon have between myself and Faith would be an understatement.

I know it's not a huge distance as far as mileage or anything. The extra time it'll take me to get from the dorms to Faith's apartment is next to nothing but it's different. It's different in that I have to think about a roommate who doesn't know about the slaying and for her own good can't know about it. I also have to juggle my classes with both the slaying and Faith.

I don't want to ignore my amazing girlfriend.

That's why tonight it's just the two of us. Sure, we're on patrol but at least we're alone and that hasn't always been the case. What's of the good right now is there have only been a couple interruptions by vamps so we've been able to concentrate on other things. Mostly, we've just been talking. Faith's been holding my hand the entire time.

"I bet we can get you moved in pretty fast tomorrow," Faith says as we walk. We've been in this cemetery for just under an hour so we're moving toward the exit. It's the third one tonight and I hope we're done. "Then we can deal with your mom crying that her little girl is growing up and get everything else sorted."

I laugh quietly. "She will do that."

"Is she okay with you staying with me tonight?"

That was something my mom and I had a very uncomfortable conversation about, even more uncomfortable than the talk we had when Faith was present. She basically said that she wanted to see me a little, too, and that she hoped I wouldn't skip out on the dorms just to spend nights with Faith because I missed being with her. I'm very thankful she's never said the word sex yet. "Being with" is as close as she's gotten.

"Yeah," I answer. "When I left tonight she said she'd see me in the morning."

Faith nods and we walk in silence for a minute. She's been trying to not be nervous around my mom and it's a little funny to watch. I know this is Faith's first real relationship so this is the first time she's had to deal with a parent. Part of me thinks my mom knows this because I always see a hint of a smile when Faith squirms in response to one of her questions.

"You're pretty quiet tonight."

I look over at her and see she's looking a little thoughtful as she eyes me. "Just thinking."

"You don't have to be nervous about tomorrow."

"Everything's gonna be different," I say. "I know you've been trying to tell me that's not the case but it is, Faith. What if I don't see you much? What if something happens to you on patrol that wouldn't have if I was there?" My eyes widen at another thought. "What if I flunk out?"

She laughs and puts an arm around my shoulders. "Babe, you have nothing to worry about. You're smarter than you ever give yourself credit for."

"I'll give myself credit for it if you acknowledge you're smarter than you think, too."

Faith doesn't say anything in response to that, only keeps an arm around me as we walk out the exit and in the direction of her apartment. She hinted in a little over the last couple days that she's willing to find an apartment closer to the campus but I don't want her to do that. She loves where she lives so much. Once she told me it's the first place she's really thought of as a home.

We arrive at her apartment quickly but not before picking up a pizza at a place on the way. Just one look from Faith and I know she's hungry for more than just me. It was a slower night than most but there are still hungries to take care of.

I close the front door as she sets the box on the table and before I know it her arms are around me and she's giving me a soft kiss. My arms are around her just as fast so she's pressed against me as we kiss.

This is something I've grown to love more than anything. Faith is such an amazing kisser and she puts so much feeling into it that I'm blown away every time. It makes me wonder why I would ever have any doubt at whether I wanted to be with her. It makes me wonder why I was so afraid of it in the first place.

"I love that," Faith says as we break away. "I love having you pressed against me like that. Makes me wanna get you naked right now."

"You know I wouldn't stop you," I tease.

"We got plenty of time for that." Faith smirks at me as she moves out of my arms. "You'll be screaming my name before the night is over."

She winks before turning back to the pizza, grabbing a slice and digging in right away. I join her and we eat in silence, moving over to the couch once we're done. We watch a little TV and I snuggle against her, smiling at the fact that we seem to fit perfectly together.

It's not long before we're making out heavily and Faith's moving us to the bed. She undresses me slowly, taking the time to kiss each inch of exposed skin that's available to her. Every kiss makes me shiver slightly, mostly because it's such a huge turn on. By the time she's done I'm pretty much a puddle on the floor.

We make love for what feels like hours. In that time our lips kiss each other everywhere and we both sigh and moan out almost constantly. Faith tries hard to be the dominate one but I am a slayer, too, and soon she's on her back and I go about making her scream out my name for a little while. Her body responds to my touches so well and even though we're slayers soon we're both too exhausted to keep going.

We end up all tangled together in the center of the bed, both of us covered in a thin layer of sweat. I'm still breathing heavy from all the activity we've just put ourselves through and Faith doing the same while keeping her strong arms around me. It's the way I would love to end every day.

After a minute she speaks up, putting her lips to my ear. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"I think you said that just a few minutes ago."

She chuckles quietly. "No, baby. You and I both know that if the Council had their way you'd be with me: slaying and maybe working a little. Definitely no school. The fact you're actually going is amazing."

I turn to her and smile because I swear Faith actually glows post-sex. "It's not that I even want to go. That was my mom and Giles."

"Yeah, you do, B," Faith disagrees and she's kind of right. It makes me feel special knowing that I may be the only slayer to go to college. I wish Faith would join me but we've had that conversation too many times already. "You going isn't gonna change how I feel about you either. I love you."

I lean in and kiss her lips gently. "I love you, too."

When I look into her eyes I can see it and I can't help but smile. Faith's eyes are always so full of emotion when she lets people really see her. I'm happy I'm one of those people.

Faith moves and pulls the covers over us so we don't get cold but she keeps me in her arms. I snuggle in next to her, making sure I can still feel every part of her. Something I've realized over the summer is that I sleep better with Faith. Sleeping next to a naked Faith is a bonus.

Neither of us says anything else as we start to drift off to sleep. I know everything will start to change tomorrow but the fact Faith is so sure of everything makes me feel better about what's about to happen.

She's sure we'll be together through everything. I'm going to go with believing she's right.


End file.
